The Chief Administrative Officer for the Rural Municipality of Tache says it has been an encouraging start to the year for construction activity.

Ken Allen says in the first quarter of this year they issued 27 building permits, compared to 28 during the same period a year ago.

The total value of all permits was $6.5 million this year, whereas in the first quarter of 2023 they were sitting at $2.5 million.

Allen says so far in 2024, there have been eight single-family housing starts and two multi-family starts. During the first quarter last year there were five single-family units.

Six of the new housing starts have been in Lorette, while Landmark has had 25, when you include the multi-family units.

"Speaking with the builders late in 2023, we were not expecting a busy start to the year, so we are encouraged," notes Allen, who says they are now anticipating a steady pace in 2024.

"Overall, we are encouraged by the level of construction activity in the RM of Tache and remain optimistic about the rest of the year," he adds.