The Squamish Sustainability Corporation released the 2008 Community Profile this week.
The 72-page document draws a bulk of its numbers from the 2006 Statistics Canada Census, but still offers a few new figures.
The town’s population rose by 2.6 per cent, as it did last year, to finish at 16,106. That growth rate outpaces the provincial average.
Housing prices shifted dramatically from January 2007 to January 2008, rising 27.1 per cent to an average of $567,896. However, that’s still cheaper than Vancouver, where prices average $742,490. Yet, Vancouver’s growth over the same time period was smaller, accounting for 15.7 per cent.
Single family dwellings are driving building permits, accounting for 95 of the 117 permits. The total value of those permits is $50,577.
Commercial permits were down to $3.9 million. In 2006, they represented $23 million. The year before, they represented $16.5 million. The report notes, however, that major projects may not be in a construction stage, as was the case in 2003, when $98,000 in commercial building permits were issued. Overall, there’s been an upward trend since 1997.
