Canada building permits drop as energy hub Alberta slumps

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The value of Canadian building permits issued in May dropped 1.9 percent from April, in part due to sharply weaker construction intentions in energy-producing Alberta, Statistics Canada said on Thursday. Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted a 2.0 percent increase. Statscan revised April's drop of 0.3 percent to a rise of 0.1 percent. In Alberta, where a slump in oil prices has badly hit the province's economy, the value of permits dropped by 22.5 percent after increasing b