Red Deer is having a better year when it comes to construction and renovations, according to building permits issued by the city.
As of November, building permits reached an estimated value of $222 million for the year, compared to $148 million during the same period last year.
But the number of permits dropped to 1,005 in 2018 from 1,140 in 2017.
Commercial activity added up to $191 million in permits, up from $65 million last year. Residential builds fell to $30 million from $47 million in 2017.
For November only, the value of permits fell to $23 million from $34 million in 2017.
Notable commercial permits issued last month included a $6.7-million project for a new 3,000-square-metre building in Queensland Industrial park, a $6.5-million enhancement at the Olymel facility, and a new $6.1-million temporary care facility.
The Olymel project involves a new slaughtering process and construction should be complete by early next fall.
“It’s a system that works with CO2. The animals fall asleep instead of receiving an electric shock,” said Richard Vigneault, with Olymel corporate communications.
“This is a huge improvement in terms of animal welfare. It’s going to make it a better working environment as well for the employees assigned to the slaughtering part of our business.
“It’s going to have a very measurable impact also on the quality of meat because there’s less stress for the animals.”
Vigneault said all 10 of Olymel’s poultry and pork slaughtering facilities have or will be switching to the CO2 stunning process.
Olymel employs 1,662 people in Red Deer.