The city of Steinbach had one of its best years on record in 2021 for construction.

The final totals are in and it shows Steinbach approved more than $101 million worth of building permits. According to Steinbach Administration, this is the fourth highest total in the history of the city and well ahead of the previous year's total of $66 million.

Of that total, approximately $55 million was in residential construction, while the remaining $46 million was for commercial construction.

Councillor Susan Penner says worth noting is that none of the commercial construction is for large government projects. She says the permit for the Rest Haven expansion was taken out previously, while the permit for the event centre has not yet been pulled.

"So this is really like organic growth and I think that's quite a significant number for that," adds Penner. "So it's another great year for Steinbach and it shows no signs of slowing down."

On the residential side, there were 289 total dwelling units added, which is down from 302 one year earlier.

"We see strong growth both in terms of people choosing to build homes here which is something that is great to see and we're also seeing strong commercial and industrial development as well," adds Councillor Michael Zwaagstra. "So it's a balanced approach to development."

Mayor Earl Funk says it just goes to show that the COVID-19 pandemic is now slowing growth in the city.

"We're the fastest growing city in our province," says Funk. "That is just exciting to hear that."