Building Construction Price Index (BCPI)

Summary of changes

Activity on this program started: 1972

Reference period of change - first quarter 2018

With the release of the first quarter of 2018, a number of important changes were introduced to increase the relevance of the building construction price indexes. These changes were applied to data for the first quarter of 2017 onwards.

Non-residential building construction price indexes are now produced based on updated representative building which reflect newer construction technologies and materials. A new transit building index has also been added to increase coverage of building construction in the industrial sector.

Coverage of building construction activity has been expanded with the launch of new residential building construction price indexes. These include an updated high-rise apartment building index that replaces the previously published Apartment Building Construction Price Index (2330), as well as new indexes for a single-detached house, a townhome and a low-rise apartment building.

The historical continuity of the building construction price indexes are maintained wherever possible by linking the new building construction price indexes with comparable historical index series.

Reference period of change - fourth quarter 2016

Target population - Beginning with the fourth quarter 2016 reference period, the NRBCPI observed population was expanded to include 4 additional CMAs: St. John's, Moncton, Winnipeg and Saskatoon. Indexes for these CMAs are not currently published.

Instrument design - A new electronic questionnaire (Construction Contractors Survey) was implemented starting with the fourth quarter 2016 data collection for the NRBCPI. This new questionnaire collects information on changes in the costs for work-in-place components (construction activities) of residential and non-residential building projects, the reasons for changes and construction market conditions.

Reference period of change - fourth quarter 2008

In the fourth quarter of 2008, the building model used to calculate the Non-Residential Building Construction Price Indexes was replaced with an updated model. Also, the base year was changed to 2002=100.