Canadian industries operated at 79.8% of their production capacity in the fourth quarter, up from a rate of 79.4% in the third quarter, which was revised slightly higher.
Growth in the construction sector
Capacity utilization in the construction sector rose 1.0 percentage point to 84.0% in the fourth quarter. This is the second straight quarterly increase after a series of nine consecutive declines. It coincided with increased activity in residential and non-residential building construction.
By contrast, capacity utilization in the electric power generation, transmission and distribution industry fell 0.3 percentage points to 83.1% in the fourth quarter. This downturn coincided with lower demand for electricity for heating purposes because of higher-than-normal temperatures in some parts of the country during the quarter.
Contact information
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