The total value of building permits issued in Greater Victoria was $49.9 million in July, an improvement over a slow June, when permits totalling $41.1 million were taken out.
That number, however, is down from the $60.2 million in permits issued in July of last year, according to data released Friday by Statistics Canada.
Residential building permits totalling $29.1 million were taken out in July in Victoria, down from $29.8 million in June and well off the $43.7 million in permits issued in July 2011.
Non-residential construction permits issued in Greater Victoria in July totalled $20.8 million, up from $11.5 million in June and $16.5 million in July of last year.
Across the country, municipalities issued building permits worth just over $6.8 billion in July, down 2.3 per cent from June.
Canada-wide, the residential sector saw the value of permits decrease 2.4 per cent to $4.3 billion, while in the nonresidential sector, the value of permits fell 2.1 per cent to $2.5 billion.
The total value of permits declined in six provinces, including Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan, while B.C. posted the largest gain, a result of growth in the value of permits for commercial buildings and multi-family dwellings.
