Residential building permits in the Yukon are falling well behind the mark set last spring and money invested in building in the territory is also down.
Information released through the Yukon Bureau of Statistics states that the value of residential building permits issued in 2024 is lagging more than $30 million behind this time last year.
The value of all building permits issued from January to April of this year fell significantly compared to the same months the previous year. The statistics show a significant lag in residential permits for the start of this year. The figures are seasonally adjusted and inflation is accounted for.
The total dollar value of all building permits issued for the early months of 2024, January through April, was $51.7 million. The bureau of stats report states that this is a decrease of $17.9 million from the same time period last year, down from $69.7 million.
The decrease is driven by falling value of residential building permits with the bureau reporting a $30.5 million or 72.4-per-cent decrease.
This came as the value of non-residential permits increased by $12.5 million, up 45.4 per cent.
Also falling, according to the Yukon Bureau of Statistics, is overall investment in building construction with April 2024 numbers sitting at $26.1 million, down $18 million or 40.8 per cent from last April’s figure.
Both sets of Yukon data can be compared to moderate nationwide increases by the same metrics.
While Whitehorse isn’t the only place in the Yukon where permits are issued and buildings are built, one city councillor in the Yukon capital says he sees a trend of backlogged permits.
In a June 12 press release, Coun. Ted Laking stated that there were 71 permit applications under review or yet to be reviewed by the city while an additional 55 permits are on hold awaiting the exchange of more information. He says this is putting wait times for permits from the city at five to eight weeks.
“While permitting delays are not unique to Whitehorse, with our shortened building season in the north and the critical shortage of housing, the issue is more acute,” Laking said.
“Doing what we can to speed things up and work with our builders is key to solving the major issues facing our community and our economy.”
Laking’s press release also explains some technology he was exposed to at a Federation of Canadian Municipalities trade show in Calgary. He writes that he saw a presentation from the City of Kelowna in British Columbia which has employed an artificial intelligence tool that has turned the turnaround time on simple permits to 24 hours. Laking writes that he heard that this has left about 40 per cent of Kelowna’s permitting staff free to focus on the larger and more effective permits, speeding those up as well.
“The Kelowna model does not replace staff, it provides them more support so that they can focus on the bigger developments,” Laking added.
“When we have a housing shortage, we shouldn’t be letting the permit for a shed slow down the permit for a quadplex and that’s really what this is all about — getting the smaller files off the desks of the staff so that they can work with builders to get more homes built.”
City of Whitehorse representative Matthew Cameron passed on information that may explain the slow start to the year as residential permits are concerned. In his June 13 email to the News, Cameron writes that 117 lots in the city were made available to builders through the April 2023 land lottery, but that those who received lots weren't able to access lots in time to get permits for last year's construction season. There was another land lottery this May that released 135 more single-family townhouse and multi-family lots.
“As a result, the city is now dealing with two waves of lottery applicants. This is in addition to our regular spring rush for additions, renovations and small building permits on older lots now that we’re into the construction season,” Cameron writes.
“The city will be taking a proactive approach later this year to promote awareness and encourage homebuilders to submit applications at the beginning of the year whenever possible, rather than waiting until the beginning of the construction season.”
He says the city anticipates the bureau of statistics will report a significant rebound of permits issued next quarter.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com