AROUND THE COUNTRY near forested areas, such as the use of covenants with property owners to mitigate the threat of fires. “They need to think about urban planning and the ways they can mini- mize the impact of extreme events such as this,” Agrawal said. “One of the main objectives should be to re- duce threats associated with the unin- tended risks of development.” SASKATCHEWAN Saskatoon construction trades report slump as Regina building permits decline Saskatchewan’s construction indus- try is facing tough times, after several years of booming conditions. CBC reports that construction around the province is slowing down and local Saskatoon trade contractors are starting to feel the consequences. “It’s getting scary,” said tiling busi- ness owner Sandy Sairally. “There’s a lot of people out of work [and] there’s a lot of people looking for work. This time of year, we shouldn’t be having trouble finding work.” Sairally told CBC’s Saskatoon Morn- ing that she started to see a change in pace in January 2015. Since then, her company’s workload has been slow- ing down more and more as time pro- gresses. “It’s been just OK but we’re expect- ing it to get worse,” Sairally said. “Our phones should be ringing off the wall [right now].” Instead she told CBC she is spend- ing time watching Kijiji for possible jobs. “It’s very, very tough for us right now,” she said. “We’ve had to take jobs for less money just because we needed the job.” Saskatoon building permit data in- dicates a decline in non-residential builds by 61 per cent. There also are serious declines in residential con- struction. There were 2,025 home builds in 2012 but this dropped to 1,658 in 2013, 1,577 in 2014 and an even sharper decline to 1,000 in 2015. Meanwhile, in Regina, building per- mit values totaled $34 million in April, a 31 per cent decrease from $49.4 mil- lion in April 2015, according to the City of Regina’s monthly building permit re- port. The April permits bring the year to date total to $146 million, also a de- cline of 31 per cent from $210.7 million in the same period last year, the Regina Leader-Post has reported. Non-residential building was down by more than half in April at $16.8 mil- lion, compared with $38 million in April 2015, and for the year to date at $77.4 million versus $145 million for the first four months of last year. However, Regina housing construc- tion bucked the trend, increasing 53 per cent to $147 million from $9.6 mil- lion during the same period last year. For the year to date, residential per- mits were slightly higher than the first four months of 2015, at $61 million over $58.2 million during same period last year. MANITOBA A developer is moving forward with plans for what is described as the tallest free standing structure between Toronto and Calgary. The forty-storey SkyCity Centre, a planned $200 million project from Toronto based Fortress Real develop- ments, is expected to rise 575 ft. at 245 Graham Ave., with 3888 condos and a six-storey pad including a 25,000 sq. ft. ground floor grocery store. There are also plans for some 30,000 sq. ft. of amenity space and another 60,000 sq. ft. of office space. Senior vice president Ben Myers said plans announced Thursday by Artis REIT to construct a 40-storey 22 – May-June 2016 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report rental apartment tower at 300 Main St. should help their push to get shovels in the ground next year. “I think it makes it easier. It shows that there’s interest and demand in liv- ing downtown,” Myers said in a tele- phone interview with the Winnipeg Sun. “I’m sure they anticipate the de- mand to fill it. We certainly think there’s enough people that want to live downtown and take advantage of new units that weren’t available to them before. Sometimes the supply has to come first.” SkyCity has sold about 150 of its 380 units and hopes to get to 200 by the end of the year to secure construc- tion funding. The goal is for occupancy in 2019. Other downtown condo projects are in the works including the $400 million True North Square, which has plans for another 275 residential units between two of its four towers with occupancy in 2019-20, along with of- fice, hotel and commercial occupants. “We see a major return to down- towns,” Myers said. Winnipeg is in the “second inning of revitalization” with more nightlife, restaurants and other areas of interest to attract young peo- ple. “I can’t wait. Five years from now, this place is going to be unbelievable,” Doug McKay of Longboat Develop- ment Corp., which is partnering with Artis REIT on the Glasshouse project,