The Mayor for Ritchot says construction is happening at an extreme pace right now in his municipality.

Chris Ewen says 2020 was a good year for construction. And now, nine months into 2021, Ritchot is leaps and bounds ahead of last year's pace.

At the three-quarter mark, Ewen is reporting there were 215 total permits taken out, worth a combined $60.6 million. Through that same period a year earlier, there were 150 permits for $30.2 million.

"It's just an insane number to see happening in a municipality of only seven thousand residents," says Ewen.

He notes the construction they are witnessing in Ritchot is being noticed residentially as well as in the commercial and industrial sectors.

Out of the $60.6 million worth of construction this year, approximately half of that has been for new housing starts. The municipality is reporting there have been 67 permits taken out this year for new homes. Of those, 40 are in Grande Pointe, 23 in St. Adolphe, two in Ile des Chenes and two in the rural area.

Ewen says in the Grande Pointe area, there is a lot of development happening this year in Grande Pointe Meadows as well as some two acre lots in the rural residential zone. As for St. Adolphe, this year has seen the construction of rental properties as well as new homes.

According to Ewen, St. Adolphe is poised for growth over the next 10 to 15 years. He notes Grande Pointe is also prepared to handle more housing construction. However, in Ile des Chenes, Ewen says things are a little tighter with respect to land opportunity, while in Ste. Agathe they need some developers to take action.

Other types of construction this year include 25 permits for renovations, 21 for pools, 21 for decks, 15 for garages and 15 for sheds or accessory buildings. There have been many other types of permits pulled as well.