Building activity in the last 3 months has picked up in most sectors across the entire MSTW Planning District.
MSTW General Manager Glen Wieler says activity in all four municipalities; Morden, Winkler, the RM of Stanley, and the RM of Thomspson are trending similarly to what they've seen in the last number of years.
"Obviously there's a couple of big projects going on like we're looking at the new Discovery School in Morden on the northwest corner, that's starting to take shape and definitely a huge project in the area."
Wieler also noted the beginning of work at the Boundary Trails Health Centre, with piles in the ground for three buildings, as part of a $100 - million dollar expansion and capital project.
"It's great for the area to have these bigger projects on the go. It employs a lot of people, it brings a lot of specialty trades into the area. And you're starting to see these buildings pop up on their project sites.
Just like in the first quarter of this year, Weiler says they're seeing most activity happening in the commercial and industrial sectors.
"The number of permits is still maybe down a little bit, not a whole lot in the first six months of the year, but the value of work has been there. So there's definitely activity happening. Multi-family, like a duplex, fourplex eight, twelve-plex, like bigger multi-family projects, definitely are stronger than they have been in the previous years."
As far as the rising interest rates, Wieler says the impact has mostly been noticed in the construction of single dwellings. He said since rates started going up, people have put plans on pause, waiting to see if rates go lower again. "Hopefully next year, we'll see more activity there."
WIeler added the contractors they're talking to are finding work, and everyone's fairly busy, and that's exciting to see.