Hammers down

New homebuilding grinds to a standstill

Shire Hall processed exactly one new home building permit in February. In January, it issued two. By this time last year, it had issued 10 new home permits. It is too early in the year to discern if this is a pattern or a blip. But if this pace is indicative of new home building in 2026, it may signal the worst year in Prince Edward County—ever.

The data suggests that even the County’s reduced population growth target of one per cent per year may be wildly optimistic.

It is not just homebuilding that’s off—the pace of construction, as measured by permitting activity, is about half what it was last year. By this point in 2025, 45 building permits had been issued, totalling $10.8 million in contstruction value. So far, in 2026, 34 permits have been issued—for work valued at $5.2 million. The 2026 numbers are also skewed upward by a single large retail store on Loyalist Parkway valued at $1.2 million.

It also means lower building fees, lower development charges and lower connection charges—dramatically lower as the accompanying chart illustrates. Lower revenue from building means strained funding for the County’s other operations. Specifically, it means less money for waterworks capital, with lost revenue to be made up from the tax or water base.