Melville’s Director of Public Works and Development Officer says 2022 was a slow year for building in the community.

2022 saw a total of 28 construction and demolition permits issued: 12 permits were related to renovations, 5 each for demolition and building garages, 4 commercial, and 1 permit each for residential and institutional. Last year’s total is down from 40 in 2021. 66 development permits were also issued in 2022. Andrew Fahlman’s report noted permit numbers for building and demolition nationally were down 18 percent year-over-year, while Saskatchewan’s permit numbers were down 12 percent in 2022.

Total construction value in 2022 was over $3.3-million, below the City’s 7-year average of over $6.8-million. By comparison, construction values nationally were down a half-percent (0.5%) from 2021, while provincially, construction values were up 14 percent in 2022.

Fahlman says last year’s total number of permits was down due to factors outside of their control, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bank of Canada’s interest rate hikes, high inflation on construction supplies.

Fahlman also says $3.3-million sounds like a very low number compared to the last 7 years, but noted 2017 was an outlier with the construction of the water treatment plant, Co-Op grocery store and Co-Op Agro Hardware store. That year’s construction value was just over $21-million.

“When you do have some anomalies of bigger centres like that, that will drive the average up, but if you take those (projects) out, we’re just below our 7-year average.” said Fahlman.

He is hoping 2023 will be an improvement from 2022.