Atlantic
Winter was not kind to Atlantic Canada as the region was pummeled with snow; those hit hardest were Saint John, Halifax, and Sydney. This was followed by a horrible April that saw torrential rain in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and heavy snow in St. John’s, Nfld. As a result, similar to the 2015 season, the first three months of the year was a write-off, as only six permits were issued during this period compared to five the year prior.
Strangely enough, despite the poor start to spring, this region had a resurgence of sorts between April and June with a 207 per cent increase in pool permit registrations. Ninety-one permits were registered in June in St. John’s alone despite 830 mm (33 in.) of snow that fell in the region just two months prior. It should be noted, this was the only CMA in Atlantic Canada to record an increase in permits in 2015.
Further, while other CMAs in the region such as Moncton (92 per cent) and Halifax (24 per cent) saw permit increases, Prince Edward Island continued its two-year downward spiral with a 40 per cent decrease.
Although more severe weather hit this region sporadically through the summer with winter returning come November, pool permit registrations held their own for the remainder of the year (July through December) and were up 144 per cent, respectively. After a 17.4 per cent year-over-year decrease in 2015, pool permits, were up in Atlantic Canada by 168 per cent in 2016. This region represents 1.9 per cent of the total number of building permits issued in Canadian CMAs, which is an increase of 0.7 per cent in comparison to 2015.
Top five major urban centres with increased building permit registration in 2016 |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Region | 2015 | 2016 | (+) Change |
| Montreal | 4175 | 4730 | 555 |
| Hamilton | 187 | 414 | 227 |
| Guelph | 42 | 245 | 203 |
| Ottawa/Hull/Gatineau | 170 | 367 | 197 |
| Quebec | 463 | 598 | 135 |
Quebec
Winter is relentless in La Belle Province as once again it was blasted with rain, snow, and ice storms early in the year, resulting in power outages and damage to infrastructure. For the third consecutive year, project starts were delayed and homeowners moved the thought of a pool installation to the backburner. As a result, 2016 pool permit trends between January and March were registered roughly at the same pace as the year prior, increasing slightly by 2.5 per cent.
The fear of a delayed spring was put to rest thanks to a super El Niño weather system, however. According to CMOS-SCMO, despite a frigid and snowy April, along with a cold snap in mid-May, Quebecers were surprisingly welcomed with spring/summer weather by the first long weekend of the year. The prompt turnaround in the weather was also embraced by pool builders, especially after the province recovered in 2015 after a slow 2014 season. That said, between April and June pool permits increased by 11.3 per cent and by another 22 per cent between July and September. The final three months of the year were not disappointing either, as an additional 577 permits were registered.
Examining the statistics further, one will find the province truly has rebounded from the dismal numbers that were recorded only two years ago. Whereas four of the province’s CMAs recorded permit increases in 2015, five had positive growth last year. Leading the way was Ottawa-Gatineau with a 118 per cent increase in permit registrations, while Québec, Sherbrooke, and Trois-Rivières all had growth larger than 20 per cent. Montréal had a 13.3 per cent increase in permits and represents 74 per cent of all permit registrations in the province. In fact, this CMA retained its position as the top producer of pool permits in the country for the second year in a row.
Although Saguenay reported permit increases in 2014, this CMA unfortunately experienced its second consecutive season of decline. After pool permits fell in this region by 20 per cent in 2015, the 2016 season was much the same with a further decrease of 16.4 per cent. Overall, the province saw 1014 more pool permits registered in 2016.
Quebec represents 67.8 per cent of the total number of pool building permits issued in the country’s CMAs, which is a decrease of 3.5 per cent in comparison to 2015.
