OTTAWA  - The value of Canadian building permits dipped by 2.6 per cent in February, in part due to lower construction intentions for single-family homes in Ontario, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday.

The value of permits for single-family dwellings edged lower by 1.6 per cent, pulled down by a 6.9 per cent decline in Ontario, Canada's most populous province. Toronto, the country's largest city, recorded a 13.6 per cent decrease.

The Ontario government implemented a number of measures last year to rein in rampant price increases in Toronto and the surrounding areas. Overall, the value of residential permits issued in Canada dipped by 0.3 per cent.

The smaller nonresidential sector posted a 6.6 percent drop as weaker construction intentions for commercial and institutional buildings outweighed an increase in permits issued for industrial structures.

The institutional component fell by 9.7 percent on lower demand for educational structures in the Quebec city of Montreal.