Construction permit values in the City of Windsor jumped by 16 percent in April.

The city’s construction activity report shows more than $32.3 million worth of permits issued for the month. This marked a jump of $4.6 million in total permit values from March—despite the fact that much of Ontario’s construction sector was under a government-ordered shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city issued 154 permits in April. This figure was down significantly from the 263 it issued in March. Of the permits it issued, 127 were for work in the residential sector, 12 were for commercial-sector work, seven for industrial projects and four for government and institutional work.

Helping to spur April’s combined permit value were two permits worth more than $1 million each. One, for $12.5 million, was the second-highest valued permit on record so far this year. That was issued for construction of a single-storey, 57,000-square foot manufacturing facility at the Grand Central Business Park on Plymouth Drive. The other six-figure permit, worth $1.5 million, was issued for the foundations of a substation at 2950 Metcalfe Street.

Compared with April 2019, permit activity in the city was down significantly. The same month last year recorded $45.6 million worth of combined permit values.

The April 2020 gain brought the city’s year-to-date permit activity up over $117 million—a decrease of about $2 million compared to the same point a year ago.