Monthly building permit numbers in Prince George are steadily climbing back up to pre-pandemic levels.
The northern capital typically sees strong building permit numbers, which is traditionally an important measure of economic progress.
In July, Prince George saw a total value of $32,976,499 from 54 building permits, compared to July 2019 which saw 63 building permits for a value of $30,015,474
In August, the city saw 67 building permits for a value of $48,380,824, whereas in August 2019, the city had 61 building permits for a value of $28,223,139.
While the 2020 numbers for July and August are higher, Prince George is still behind 2019 in the year-to-date amount of building permit values.
Prince George’s has had 353 building permits so far this year for a value of $131,146,497, whereas back in August 2019, the city had issued 413 permits for a value of $146,068,413.
These strong numbers are also congruent with the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation's (CMHC) August stats, which show new construction starts in Prince George are also increasing.
“I think that there’s a more interesting story and that’s, that in the midst of COVID-19, we are at 80 per cent of what we were in previous years,” said Coun. Garth Frizzell during Monday night’s council meeting (Sept. 14), when reviewing the numbers.
“People have faith in this community. Projects are not stopping. They see a future here and they are not going to be paused by the worst pandemic we’ve had since 1918. It shows strong confidence in the city and continues the story of excitement in construction that we’ve had for almost the last decade.”
Prince George hit an all-time high for building records in 2018 representing a value of $186.3 million, which the city then surpassed in 2019 with more than $193.76 million.
Mayor Lyn Hall said he hoped the city would be able to meet another milestone this year.
