The value of Canadian building permits issued in December totalled $6.8 billion in December, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday, up by 11.1 per cent from November.

Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 0.6 per cent to $49.9 billion in December, the fifth increase in six months.

Statistics Canada says the number of people receiving regular employment insurance benefits edged up by 4,200, or 0.8 per cent, to 544,700 in December.