Building numbers in Fort St. John still sluggish

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — After a dismal first quarter, building numbers in Fort St. John continued to lag in April and May.

In both April and May, the value of construction totalled $3.2 and $3.4 million respectively, which brings the year-to-date construction value in Fort St. John to $10.15 million. That number, while helped by the first two months of the year, is still well short of May 2016’s year-to-date total of $16.73 million.

According to data from the City of Fort St. John, 2017 has so far seen the lowest year-to-date construction value since 2009, when $4.79 million worth of construction was started during the first five months of that year.

So far this year, construction has not been much of a money-maker for City coffers, with total revenues from building permits since January first totalling just $70,633.37. That’s less than half the year-to-date amount in 2016, when the City had brought in $152,702.69 during the same timeframe.