The City of Moose Jaw approved nearly $11 million in building permits in the fourth quarter of 2023, data show, while it supported over $80 million worth of permits for the entire year.
A fourth-quarter report from the planning and development services department shows city hall approved $10,853,499 in building permits from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023.
In comparison, it approved $18,493,708 in Q4 2022 and $44,108,470 in Q4 2021.
Meanwhile, the city issued $80,309,495 in building permits for all last year, which was comprised of $7,470,462 in residential, $22,146,774 in commercial/industrial and $50,692,259 in institutional.
In comparison, in 2022, those numbers were $106,089,813 total permits, $25,268,725 residential, $20,386,788 commercial/industrial and $60,434,300 institutional.
In 2021, those figures were $66,343,305 total permits, $16,483,080 residential, $39,743,109 commercial/industrial and $10,117,116 institutional.
Also, the total number of building permits that city hall issued last year was 158, compared to 221 the year before.
Meanwhile, the department issued 33 building permits in Q4 last year, with residential permits leading the way at 14. Conversely, in Q4 2022, there were 36 total permits, with residential (19) and industrial/commercial (12) as the top categories. Also, there were 62 permits issued in Q4 2021, with residential (26), industrial/commercial (13) and accessory buildings (10) as the top categories.
Construction of the new joint-use school is included in last year's development permits under institution.
Meanwhile, other examples of institutions include places of worship, community centres, community colleges and universities, day cares, elementary schools, group homes, hospitals, municipal or provincial offices, public libraries, museums, nursing homes, police stations, post offices, religious institutions, assisted living houses and high schools.
Building inspections
Department staff conducted 52 building inspections between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023, while they made 266 total annual inspections.
In comparison, those numbers were, respectively, 95 and 398 in 2022 and 112 and 527 in 2021.
Also, during Q4, city hall approved 46 new business licences, renewed six and closed 11. For the entire year, those numbers were 227, 1,682 and 135, respectively.
Meanwhile, in Q4 of 2022, 35 new business licences were approved, three renewed and four closed. For the entire year, those numbers were 184, 1,687 and 163, respectively.
Also, in Q4 2021, 42 new business licences were issued, 13 were renewed, and two were closed. For the entire year, those numbers were 216, 1,548 and 67, respectively.
As part of the fourth-quarter report — presented during a recent city council meeting — the department noted that:
- There were eight lots available and 24 acres of unserviced subdivided land in the Grayson Business Park
- The Great Plains Power Station was 95 per cent complete and expected to be commissioned in early 2024
- It presented the final draft of the indigenous engagement framework to the economic development team, while it would make final edits in Q1 2024 and then present the document to council
- Moose Jaw was chosen as one of five communities to participate in the agri-value cluster development project, which aims to strengthen core industry sections in the region
The next regular council meeting is Monday, March 11.
