Building reports through the end of June show permits and total values of construction in Portage la Prairie are up in 2017, compared to the same period last year.

The Portage la Prairie Planning District's June report says there's been 165 permits issued in Portage, 22 more than 2016. The total value of the permits is $19.37-million, over $3-million more than the $16.295-million posted through the first six months of 2016.

"We've had some really positive reports from the planning district," says Coun. Liz Driedger, Chair of the City Planning and Economic Development Committee. "The interesting factor here is the values of the work being done that these permits are based on is up about $3-million over last year. So there's lots of work being done in Portage."

While permits and total values are up (which includes repairs), new construction starts in Portage are mostly unchanged or slightly down. For residential construction, new permits decreased slightly at 16 through the end of June compared to 23 in 2016. Value of new permits is down slightly as well, at about $4.7-million, compared to just over $5.6-million in 2016.

Commercial starts are largely in line with last year, with three permits issued in the first six months of 2017, while there was two in 2016. New industrial starts are also largely unchanged year-over-year, with two new permits issued through the end of June 2017 valued at $1.65-million, compared to two permits at $1.866-million in 2016. The number of new institutional permits issued was unchanged at one, but value was down almost $700,000 compared to 2016. New farm building permits is also down slightly at three valued at $290,000, compared to five at $990,000 in 2016.