The city saw a rebound in building permits issued in May, after a significant drop in permits issued in March and April.
Last month the city issued a total of 56 permits, worth an estimated $13.4 million, according to a report presented to city council on Monday.
May's numbers were better than the previous two years. In May 2019 the city issued 49 permits worth $9 million and in May 2018 it issued 39 permits worth $12.9 million.
"I thought that we would see a dramatic downturn," Coun. Garth Frizzell said. "The numbers see to be sticking up there. I think it's indicative the economy, before COVID, was roaring."
The COVID-19 pandemic took a bite out of the local construction sector in March and April. The city saw a roughly 20 per cent drop in the value of permits issued in March compared to 2018-19, and an approximately 80 per cent drop in April compared to the past two years.
From Jan. 1 to May 31, the city has issued a total of 175 building permits with an estimated value just shy of $35.6 million. During the same period in 2019, the city had issued 209 permits worth $58.9 million and in 2018 the city had issued 176 permits worth $52.8 million.
"Certainly the numbers for the actual value of permits is down," Frizzell said. "But the number of permits issued is pretty comparable."
Four commercial building alternations with a combined value of almost $6.5 million, 13 new single-family homes with a combined value of almost $5.5 million and a single new duplex worth approximately $582,700 comprised the lion's share of permits. The remainder came from a number of smaller residential improvements.
