Building permits are up across the board in Winkler, Morden, Thompson and the R.M of Stanley.

The M.S.T.W Planning District reports that year to date, permits are up 20 from 104 to 124 in the region compared to the same time last year.

Glen Wieler, MSTW General Manager, explains they were pleasantly surprised to see residential numbers up throughout the region in the first half of the year, many of them new housing.

In Winkler residential permits are up from 77 to 89, while Morden rose from 40 to 49. The R.M of Stanley saw no change sitting again at 65 this year, while Thomson jumped from 2 to 10 compared to last year at the end of June.

However, commercial permits are down slightly, though Wieler says the region saw a number of major projects completed in the last number of years.

"The Tabor Home, The Buhler Centre, Homestead South, Northlands Parkway Collegiate, Prairie Dale, so in the last five years we've had five substantial projects in the area," Wieler says. "This is the first year that we haven't had a large project like that start."

However, looking ahead there are major projects on the horizon from Winkler's Meridian Exhibition Centre and new schools in both the Garden Valley School Division and the Western School Division.

The value for all permits taken out in Winkler so far this year is $8,908,000 compared to $6,751,000 last year at this time. Morden sits at $5,071,000 compared to $4,269,000, the R.M of Stanly $8,908,000 compared to $6,751,000. Thompson has jumped to $1,043,000 compared to only $212,000 last year.