A solid gain in commercial and institutional development in the Toronto area wasn’t enough to offset a fall in the residential sector, and building permits took a double-digit tumble in May.

The 12.2 per cent drop took permits to $1.08 billion, due mostly to the volatile condominium sector, Statistics Canada said yesterday.

The multiple-unit segment fell 43 per cent to $316 million from $550 million a month earlier. A fivefold spike in development intentions for schools and hospitals to $103 million in May did little to blunt the fall.