QUOTE (EdRenkema @ Jan 20 2008, 10:13 AM)
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/295687
Most of this construction is nonresidential which of course means jobs, good news for those investing in Oshawa.
Ed R
Hi Ed,
Great data! Just to make it easier to find after:
Oshawa building boom helps boost jobs (Jan 20, 2008)
City hit hard by auto industry slump issued record number of construction permits in 2007
QUOTE Oshawa`s booming.
The city issued a record $446 million worth of building permits last year, a 23 per cent increase over 2006. Almost 60 per cent of the 1,368 permits were for non-residential construction.
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The new construction, Parkes said, will boost employment in a city hit hard by the slump in the automotive industry. General Motors has just cut 1,200 jobs at its truck plant in response to falling sales.
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Among the largest building projects for which permits were issued were a body plant at GM, courthouse, high school, an industrial building and a commercial centre.
The fact that so much of the new construction is non-residential is a bonus, Parkes said.
"These kinds of buildings take less community resources than residential and increase our tax base."
She says the growth emerges from a decision "to go in a different direction to modernize the city."
On top of the construction boom, the city won several awards last year. In November, it brought home a gold in the United Nations-endorsed International Awards for Liveable Communities for achievements in sustainability, planning and environmental sensitivity.
The General Motors Centre, the city`s year-old sports and entertainment complex, won a "Brownie Award" from the Canadian Urban Institute for innovation and environmental sustainability on a former industrial or commercial site.
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Oshawa has been working to revitalize its downtown with several projects in the works including restoration and reopening of the historic Regent Theatre.
Despite challenges facing the key manufacturing sector, the Conference Board of Canada has predicted Oshawa`s economic growth over the next three years will be one of the strongest of Ontario`s cities.
