Construction activity off its peak but holding steady in Frontenac County

Jeff Green | Jan 17, 2024

The South, Central and North Frontenac building departments brought reports back to their respective councils in January, providing a snapshot of the strength of the home construction sector last

In North and Central Frontenac, the reports covered the entire year, while in South Frontenac there is a reporting delay and only the first three quarters are covered.

In Central Frontenac, permits for 38 new houses (including permanent and seasonal residences) were sold in 2023, down slightly from 39 in 2022, and off from the 2021 total, which was 46. Construction value, at $16.5 million, was up $1million over 2022, but was $1 million lower than 2021.

Overall permits were also up marginally from 2022, but off the 2021 total by almost 20%.

North Frontenac has seen a similar story. Permits for 26 new homes were sold in 2023, off the total of 30 in each of the previous two years.

In terms of construction value, 2023 was almost the same as 2021, $12.1 million, with 2022 being a peak year at $12.9 million.

The South Frontenac building department's report focussed on a comparison between the 3rd quarter of 2023 and earlier years when it comes to permits for new construction, and there were 28 in the 3rd quarter of 2023, the same as the 3rd quarter in both 2022 and 2020, and higher than the total of 20 in 2021.

Looking at construction values as whole, comparing the first three quarters of the year, the 2023 total was $46.5million, well off 2022 when values were over $60 million by the end of September. But 2022 was an anomalous year. After the 3rd quarter in 2021, values stood at only $32 million, and it was only $20 million in 2020, when COVID hurt the sector.

By looking at new construction in the three townships in relation to the total of existing property values in each township, South Frontenac grew at slightly higher rate than Central Frontenac in 2023, and both Central and South Frontenac saw stronger growth in 2023 when compared to North Frontenac.

All in all, however, the downturn in the national and provincial economies does not seem to have hurt the construction sector in Frontenac County last year.