Page 19 - Brandon Sun - 2020 Westman Business

NOVEMBER 2020 • WESTMAN BUSINESS • THE BRANDON SUN 19

» Continued from Page 18 construction projects, including com-
mercial and industrial construction.
Overall, there was a decrease in However, CARM has also seen an in-
both residential and non-residential crease in the total number of projects
construction projects, with 81 fewer that it puts out for tender.
building permits issued in 2020 than CARM put out a total of 1,800 ten-
were issued the year before. The value ders in 2019, while 1,800 tenders have
of all the year’s construction projects already been put out in 2020 by Oc-
decreased approximately $69.8 mil- tober. The number of tenders for the
lion from 2019 to 2020. Westman region entered in CARM’s
Fischer said that some of these PlanPoint platform for 2020 year to
changes are likely due to the impact of date is 285 postings.
the COVID-19 pandemic. For exam- “That just shows that even with the
ple, with government orders shutting decrease to the commercial side of
down or putting heavy restrictions on the house, the increase to residential
certain types of businesses, people has kept us on par for the number of
might be less likely to open new small jobs,” Wood said.
businesses like restaurants, gyms and However, Wood emphasized that
event spaces. overall job and project tender num-
The trends reported by the City of bers do not necessarily paint a full
Brandon were generally supported picture of the construction industry
by the information given by Shawn in western Manitoba.
Wood, executive director of the Con- “Just make note that, (with) some
struction Association of Rural Mani- of our smaller contractors, that the
toba. COVID (pandemic) has affected them
Wood said that the number of com- more than the bigger companies,”
mercial building permits obtained in Wood said. “Just because our jobs are
Brandon has fallen by approximately almost on par, that doesn’t mean that
60 to 62 per cent in 2020 versus 2019. all of our construction companies
Fewer non-residential building are not having any issue dealing with
permits means fewer non-residential COVID-19.”

A construction worker uses a saw at the site of the new Maryland Park School in
Brandon in January. The number of commercial building permits obtained in Bran-
don has fallen by approximately 60 to 62 per cent in 2020 versus 2019. (File)