The Wellings of Lloydminster 55-plus residential project on 72 Ave. is one of many residential, commercial and industrial construction projects currently taking place in the Border City. Geoff Lee Meridian Source
All signs are pointing to a busy spring construction season in Lloydminster as National Construction Safety Week activities are underway.
Members of the Lloydminster Construction Association (LCA) are actively pursuing work on some of the 185 available projects for tender in the region from January to April listed by BuildWorks Canada.
“Things are looking very promising in Lloydminster,” said LCA president Krystal Monteith.
“I’m thinking we’re going to be busy right across all sectors, residential, commercial and industrial.
“Right now, there’s public projects underway and private projects underway, so there’s some funding from both sides which is helping things move ahead.”
The big ticket project in Lloyd is the long-term construction of the Cenovus Energy Hub as work wraps up on the new Lloydminster and District Co-op car wash and Nissan dealership on 50 Ave.
“We’ve got stuff on both sides (of the city) as well as the municipal sector is putting out projects. We’ve got a nice bit of work from each direction here,” said Monteith.
The City of Lloydminster is also expecting 2024 to be another good year for construction following 123 permits totalling $120 million of construction in 2023.
“It’s going to be a very busy year around the city from the city perspective as well as private development,” said Mayor Gerald Aalbers.
“Talking to people and hearing from various groups that are talking to businesses, there’s an upbeat feeling. There’s a lot of things being built and worked.”
Last Friday Aalbers revealed a retailer will be moving into old Canadian Tire store at 4215 70th Ave. following extensive renovations of the 65,109 sq. ft. space.
“It’s a huge space to see filled that I’m really excited about,” said Aalbers.
The strong list of projects follows a recent report Alberta’s construction sector added 12,767 more workers in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period a year ago.
Alberta recorded 3,122 housing starts in March 2024, an increase of 55.4 per cent from the same year-ago period.
Saskatchewan housing starts in March also rose by 12.1 per cent compared to March 2023.
MLS residential sales for Lloyd in 2023 included 130 sales on the Saskatchewan side and 330 in Alberta.
Monteith says despite the construction growth in parts of Western Canada, local companies are scrambling to find ways to recruit and retain workers.
She says the LCA is doing its part by promoting the trades to youth during its bi-provincial Try-A-Trade day, which will bring up to 2,000 students to the Lloyd Ex on April 30 for hands-on learning opportunities.
“We show them what our trades have to offer. The schools are latching on to promoting the trades which is very beneficial for us. It’s a very promising career,” said Monteith.
“Different strategies are happening. Businesses are also working on making their businesses more attractive to employees— what can we offer to make this a better place to work.”
The City of Lloydminster has recently become part of the Rural Advantage Immigration Program’s Rural Renewal stream to attract and retain immigrant workers to rural communities.
“So there’s definitely different strategies out there trying to address the labour shortage, but I think it’s going to be on the forefront of everyone’s minds for a little while here,” said Monteith.
She says when it comes to wages, the construction sector is definitely a good sector to be in.
Monteith expects rapid population growth, particularly in Alberta, which saw a 4.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2023 from a year ago, will help drive construction in our region.
“As the province grows, you are going to need more infrastructure; you’re going to need more schools, hospitals, everything and housing to keep up with our growing population,” she said.
