Alberta's second-tier cities were busier places for building in 2012.
That about sums up the building stats for the past year, and it appears 2013 will bring more of the same in places such as Grande Prairie, Airdrie, Red Deer and Medicine Hat.
The Gas City's building-permit values were up sharply in 2012, based on major institutional projects including an expansion and renovation of the regional hospital.
The Hat's permit values for 2012 topped $216.6 million, a 271 per cent increase over the $58.4 million total for 2011.
Even without its big-ticket institutional projects, Medicine Hat's 2012 building totals were way ahead of 2011, thanks in part to a significant increase in the number of new single-family homes approved in 2012 (164) versus 2011 (95).
In Red Deer, 2012 ended with permits issued for over $268 million in new construction, up from $169.7 million in 2011.
The increase was evident across all but the institutional sector, with industrial permits topping $74 million alone.
In Grande Prairie, permit values were up almost $60 million from 2011, to a total of $256 million for 2012.
Perennial-growth powerhouse Airdrie also picked up its pace in 2012, with permit values in the Highway 2 city reaching $365.3 million, up almost $88 million from 2011.
While commercial/industrial building was down somewhat in Airdrie, activity was up across the residential sector and also increased in the institutional sector
from Western Investor March 2013
