Building permit numbers highlight a bounce-back year for northwest Alberta's key service centre and oil and gas hub.
As of the end of November, Grande Prairie's 2011 building permit values had hit $184.8 million, up 52 per cent from the same period in 2010.
The jump in permit values was fuelled by a modest increase in residential construction and a much more significant hike in commercial and industrial buildings.
The overall increase came despite a $20 million decline in the institutional sector.
The improved 2011 numbers should be kept in perspective though, as Grande Prairie permit figures have exceeded $300 million annually in the past.
The city also marked a significant milestone in early December - the opening of its new $110 million Aquatics and Wellness Multiplex, a long-awaited amenity viewed as a key attraction of the resource-based city.
from Western Investor January 2012
