A home being built in Prince Albert. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Building momentum

P.A. construction industry hopes 2021 lays foundation for multi-year boost

Dec 23, 2020 | 3:42 PM

The Prince Albert Construction Association is hopeful new economic growth in the city could turn around a five-year slump in the residential construction sector.

“We’re feeling fairly optimistic about the next year,” President Shaun Cripps told paNOW. “But we’re feeling extremely optimistic over the next three to five.”

Cripps said things in the commercial construction sector are already improving, which should lay the foundation for more new homes to be built in Prince Albert starting in 2022.

“They’re going to need people to work at these place,” Cripps said.

Several large projects are on the horizon in the coming year including a new eco-friendly furniture manufacturer in the R.M. of Buckland, the $60 million recreation centre scheduled to break ground in the fall, and the Rose Garden Hospice, which is hoping to break ground in the spring. Construction on the Victoria Hospital expansion could also potentially start late in 2021.

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“That’s a lot of work dollar-wise,” Cripps said.

While the companies who win the tenders for the largest projects will likely be from out of town, Cripps said there will still be opportunities for local construction companies to be involved.

“The chances of a P.A. company getting the hospital or the arena are probably pretty slim, it will probably be a company out of Saskatoon I would assume,” Cripps said. “But hopefully they hire local… and we can get a lot of sub-trades working, plumbing, electrical, dry-wallers.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom