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Nickel City led northeast in building permits in 2020

Greater Sudbury issued 1,391 residential permits last year, 300 more than Sault Ste. Marie
North Bay home construction (2012)

Greater Sudbury led northeastern Ontario in residential building permits last year, likely reflecting the pandemic year that saw homebound Canadians filling their time by working on their homes.

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), which tracks property data across the province, reports that Sudbury issued 1,391 residential building permits in 2020, an increase of 13 per cent over 2019.

The nearly 1,400 residential permits issued in Sudbury topped Sault Ste. Marie, which issued the second most in the North, by 300 permits.

During 2020, Greater Sudbury city council deemed building inspections and the issuing of building permits to be essential services during the pandemic, and they carried on uninterrupted. Building permits increased despite supply chain interruptions, material price increases and new construction protocols from the Ministry of Labour, the city reported earlier this month.

Nonetheless, building statistics show overall construction values of $322.4 million for 2020, up 15.4 per cent over 2019. A total of 407 planning applications were received in 2020, including rezonings, site plans, Official Plan amendments, minor variances, consents, pre-consultations and applications for draft plans of subdivision/condominium.

The upward trend continued in the first five months of 2021, too. As of May 31, $116.4 million worth of permits have been issued for residential, commercial, institutional and industrial projects, compared to $94.5 at this time last year. A total of 193 planning applications have been received to date.

In Sudbury, the new residential home construction sector showed a significant year-over-year increase in 2020, with 436 residential units created (78-per cent higher than the 245 units created in 2019) and an overall construction value of $107.1 million (compared to $81.7 million in 2019). These values were a result of some major multi-unit development activity, including a new 137-unit retirement residence valued at $17 million.

As of May 31, permits have been issued for 139 units with a value of $40.1 million, compared to 76 units worth $13.1 million during the same period last year.

Other municipalities in the northeast saw fewer permits in terms of the raw numbers, but significant increases by percentage, including Wawa, where permits were up by a 165 per cent (with 45 permits issued), MPAC reported.

Provincewide, more than 106,000 Ontario homeowners obtained residential building permits in 2020, MPAC reported, a nine per cent increase from the year before, with permits for home improvements jumping by 15 per cent. 

In a news release, MPAC noted the number of residential building permits had dropped in 2018 (by 18 per cent from the year before), increased slightly in 2019 (up 0.3 per cent), then surged in 2020.

“The COVID-19 pandemic likely put more of a focus on the home,” said Carmelo Lipsi, MPAC vice-president and COO. “Whether it was because people were spending so much more time at home, or maybe had extra disposable income because of cancelled travel, there was a significant increase in demand for building permits to upgrade residential properties.”

– Sudbury.com