Grants to Owners

The Building Preservation Program provides grants to owners of protected heritage buildings for exterior stabilization, maintenance or restoration of privately-owned buildings. The City will contribute 50% of the cost of the work, up to $5,000 in a calendar year. An owner may also claim any unclaimed amounts from the previous two years.

In order to receive this grant, an owner must bring forward an application for financial assistance to the Heritage Advisory Commission for its review and approval.  More information can be obtained from the Legislative Services Division (City Clerk).

More information is available, here. 

Property Tax Relief

The City also has adopted a policy to provide property tax exemption for owners of properties that are protected by a heritage designation by-law, heritage revitalization agreement, or (heritage) restrictive covenant. Council must adopt a bylaw to allow such tax relief to continue each year.

Other Support Tools

Protected heritage buildings are also eligable for consideration of equivalencies under some building code requirements. Non-monetary support can include regulatory adjustments such as certain relaxations to the particular zoning in order to allow a heritage building to be retained. Non-monetary support tools can also include technical assistance from City staff, commemoration with plaques, or other information guides. These support tools are developed through negotiation with the owner and are tailored to the circumstances of each site.