In October the City of Hamilton surpassed $2 billion in construction value for building permits, a new record reached five days earlier than in 2023. Mayor Andrea Horwath called the achievement proof of Hamilton’s growth and collaboration between builders, city staff, and developers. Click here for the press release.

While this reflects strong investment, HHCA past president Ryan Kneisz spoke with the Daily Commercial News expressing concern and cautioned that the decline in permit numbers signals rising construction costs and economic pressures that could affect long-term growth.

“The true measure of growth lies in the number of building permits issued annually,” he said, urging continued efforts to streamline approvals and support project viability as well as the need to address development charge exemptions across all zoning types.