Downtown building to get $4-million facelift

Sault Ste. Marie's biggest building permit last month was for $4 million in exterior upgrades to the OLG/Ontario government building at 70 Foster Dr.

The 33-year-old downtown landmark is to get new insulated glass units/spandrel panels as well as exterior precast cladding repairs and facade sealant replacement.

Named Roberta Bondar Place after Canada's first woman astronaut, the building has about 265,000 square feet of office space.

So far this year, the city has issued 396 building permits valued at $81.9 million.

That compares to 378 permits worth $53.1 million during the same five months last year.

Here's a sector breakdown of year-to-date building permits:

• commercial – 40 permits worth $14 million
• industrial - 15 permits worth $7 million
• institutional - 21 permits worth $10 million
• residential - 320 permits worth $50.7 million

In May 2024, there were 147 permits valued at $14.7 million, compared to 175 permits with a value of $12.7 million in May 2023.

On the housing front, there were permits for a total of 118 dwelling units and 17 new single family dwellings last month.

Three of those permits were for million-dollar homes on Old Garden River Road and Crimson Ridge Drive.

A building permit was also issued for $875,000 to upgrade sprinkler and fire alarm systems at the Ontario Forest Research Institute building at 1235 Queen St. East.