After a slow start to the year, the City of Estevan has gone over the $50 million mark in building permits.
The City released the November report at the Dec. 9 regular meeting of council and it was highlighted by an impressive $14.8 million worth of permits. November's big totals pushed the City to $51.4 million for 2013.
Mayor Roy Ludwig said the permits report is more proof the Energy City is among the provincial leaders in growth.
"It's another positive thing and all of these factors point to the need for us to work closely with the province and (federal government) for the continued infrastructure help that we need for this growth to continue."
Overall, nine permits were issued in November. The bulk of the financial total came from one commercial permit which had a value of $8.36 million. There was also one multi-family permit with a value of $4.7 million and one single family home permit which was valued at $814,200.
The City no longer provides detailed data on the permits, but Ludwig believed the commercial permit was for a hotel that will be located on Kensington Avenue.
The surge in building permits comes after what could be described as two down years when compared to the highs of 2008 to 2010 when the City set a number of records.
Ludwig said in looking forward to 2014, the City is anticipating the building pace will remain brisk.
Among the projects of note is the ongoing work by Trimount Developments in the Dominion Heights subdivision. Also on the housing front, work on The Ridge, a modular home park on Estevan's southern outskirts, began earlier this year and WestD Construction, the developer behind the project has already confirmed plans for a second phase.
On the commercial side, there are currently plans for three new hotels along Kensington Avenue. The City has also sold land located behind Walmart to an Alberta developer that has plans for commercial and industrial property.
The construction pace has also remained strong on a provincial level. According to the report, October was a very busy month for construction companies as building permits totalled a record $370.6 million.
According to a government press release month-over-month, building permits were up by 26.2 per cent between September 2013 and October 2013, the highest percentage increase among the provinces and well ahead of the 7.4 per cent posted nationally.
According to the Statistics Canada report released earlier this month, building permits were up by 14.0 per cent when compared with October 2012, second best in Canada and better than the 6.2 per cent decline recorded nationally.
"The Saskatchewan economy is in very good shape," Economy Minister Bill Boyd said. "Building permits released today support the overall growth and more importantly, reminds us to be optimistic about the versatility and strength of our economy."
Residential building permits were $172.5 million in October 2013, up 7.0 per cent over last year. Non-residential permits came in at $198.2 million, a 20.9 per cent rise over last October.
"As we move into the latter months of 2013 with record building permit figures, it is very clear we are among the top economies in Canada," Boyd said. "The stellar performance this year suggests 2014 will be another good year filled with optimism and prosperity."
