A $940 million building permit for a new patient tower at Red Deer's hospital pushed building values to over $1 billion this year.
The six-floor tower is part of the $1.8 billion Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre Redevelopment Project that will see 200 beds added, along with six new operating rooms, two cardiac catheterization labs, an expanded Medical Device Reprocessing Department and a new building for outpatient services, such as addiction and mental health treatments and renal dialysis.
The project, expected to be completely finished in 2031, also includes renovations to 250,000 square feet of the existing hospital and a parkade expansion.
With the addition of that building permit, the total value of permits through the first six months is just over $1 billion, compared with $62.6 million over the same period last year.
Removing the hospital project, permit values for this year remain comparable to a year ago with 524 permits worth around $64 million issued, compared with last year's 540 permits worth $62.6 million.
In June alone, setting aside the hospital permit, 107 permits worth $9.2 million were issued, compared with 120 permits worth $5.7 million a year ago.
The residential sector has been stronger this year, with 384 permits worth $28.9 million issued to the end of June, compared with 379 worth $11.6 million in 2025.
Public service permits, excluding the patient tower, saw 21 permits worth $8.5 billion issued, compared with 32 worth $6.7 million through the first half of 2024.
Industrial building activity is down a little, with nine permits worth just under $3.7 million compared with 15 permits worth $4.9 million last year.
The value of commercial construction is down sharply. To the end of June, 110 permits worth $22.9 million were handed out, compared with 114 worth $39.3 million.
Among other noteworthy permits is a $1.5 million permit to renovate the former Jysk store at 2004 50th AVe. into a new No Frills Supermarket.
A $1.7 million permit was also issued for a new eight-unit residential building at 3733 45th St. and a $500,000 permit was issued to Red Deer Polytechnic to convert an art classroom into a new sonography lab as part of the Donald Family Institute of Health Tech Innovation.
RDP announced last November it was introducing a new two-year Diagnostic Medical Sonography Diploma, which trains health professionals in the use of specialized ultrasound equipment to create images of internal body structures to help physicians diagnose and treat health problems.
A $520,000 permit is going to develop a space in Parkland Mall for a new tenant.
