The COVID-19 pandemic hasn't slowed construction in the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George.
Data released in a report to the district board on Thursday showed the district issued more building permits in August this year than in August 2019. The total number of permits issued in the first eight months of 2020 was nearly the same as in 2019, however the estimated value of those permits was more than 50 per cent higher.
The number and value of building permits being issued is at "record levels," district chairperson Art Kaehn said.
In August, the district issued 38 building permits worth an estimated $7.4 million. That compares to 33 permits worth nearly $5.7 million in 2019.
From January to the end of August, the district has issued a total of 205 permits with a combined value of $33.5 million. That compares to 222 permits worth an estimated $21.1 million in 2019 over the same period in 2019, and 180 permits with a combined value of $17.2 million in the first eight months of 2018.
Permits for the construction of 30 new single-family and multi-family homes (with a combined value of $12.3 million) and nine commercial projects with an estimated value of $16 million were the biggest contributors to the rising value of building permits issued so far this year.
