Concept art for the Agri-Food Hub and Trade Centre. (Supplied by Lethbridge and District Exhibition)

By David Opinko

$50M building permit in June

Construction value from Exhibition Park expansion more than all other projects in city combined

Aug 4, 2021 | 4:16 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Things are really picking up in Lethbridge’s construction sector.

Between all types of construction activities requiring permits for residential, commercial, and institutional facilities, the City of Lethbridge reports that the total construction value in June 2021 is over $72.4-million.

A total of 136 construction permits were filed in the month of June. New single-family homes are certainly a large contributor to the large total, as 26 permits in June added $9.6-million. Over $6-million is being spent on a new commercial building at 450 39 Street North.

However, the construction value of a single project in the city is more than every single other one combined.

The building permit for Exhibition Park’s new Agri-Food Hub and Trade Centre is valued at over $50-million dollars. This has helped to push the year-to-date construction value in Lethbridge to the highest level since work on the new YMCA started in 2017, currently sitting at $178-million in 2021.

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“Whether it’s short or long-term economic impact, this project is already paying in spades,” says Mike Warkentin, CEO of Lethbridge and District Exhibition.

Even Stats Canada mentioned it in their monthly report on building permits, saying the trade centre helped to push construction intentions in the non-residential sector up 32.7 per cent across Alberta.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held back in March for the 268,000-square foot, $70.5 million project.

READ MORE: Kenney in Lethbridge for Exhibition Park expansion groundbreaking

The facility, upon completion, will add capacity for events as well as opportunities for local producers, businesses, and students.

Nearly 400 construction jobs are expected to be created.

So far, Warkentin tells LNN that construction has been going smoothly so far and they are on pace to open in early 2023.

“We are in the process of putting structural piles into the ground, so we are approximately 30 per cent through that and we anticipate that to go on for another five-to-six weeks here on site.”

Construction on the Agri-Food Hub and Trade Centre, as well as the ongoing operations of the AHS COVID-19 Immunization Clinic, will mean far less parking will be available for this year’s Whoop-Up Days.

READ MORE: Whoop-Up Days set for September 2-5

Admission to the festival will be free this year.