Several major building permits led to a surge in construction last month in Kamloops.

Building and engineering development manager Jason Dixon says there were two residential projects worth nearly $8 million together, including a $4.8 million dollar permit for an affordable housing project for Indigenous youth and elders on the North Shore, where an formal ground breaking was held nearly two weeks ago.

Dixon says last month’s total building permit value was $33.2 million. Meanwhile, the year-to-date construction value is now more than $97.9 million, which is slightly above the total from this time last year of $94.9 million.

“I don’t know if I would predict another record, three (years) in a row would be something. But I do think we’ll be awfully close, we’ll be at very high construction values when we get to the end of the year. Probably higher than we anticipated.”

Construction values last year in the Tournament Capital totaled more than $285 million.