To better serve our heritage stakeholders, program guidelines and application forms for the 2019-20 grant opportunities under the Heritage Development Fund (Built Heritage) are now available at Heritage Property.
Conservation Advice and Conservation Work Grants
Owners of a registered municipal heritage property (including those located within an approved municipal heritage conservation district) may apply for a conservation advice grant to support up to 50% of the costs to prepare the conservation advice report up to a maximum of $3,000.
Only registered municipal heritage properties used either for religious worship or community, non-profit purposes are eligible, and may apply for a conservation work grant to support up to 50% of the eligible conservation work costs up to a maximum of $7,500 every two years. Property owners are responsible to review the revised program guidelines, including a provision supporting the Culture Action Plan to ensure your proposed conservation project can be considered.
Revised Program Guidelines
As outlined in the program guidelines, while formal approval cannot be provided until April 1, new application deadlines of March 15 and May 15 have been introduced for 2019-20. After May 15, submitted applications will be assessed based on the date of receipt and the program’s fiscal ability. In all cases, the new deadline to submit a final report will be November 15, 2019. Should you have any questions about these grants or would like to obtain an application form and guideline document, please contact my office at 902-424-5647.
Tax Rebate
In addition to the grants described above, Service Nova Scotia continues to offer a Provincial Tax Rebate (under the Sales Tax Act). This program provides heritage property owners with a full rebate of the provincial sales tax paid for eligible materials used for the repair, improvement or restoration of the exterior of a heritage property. An overview of this rebate program, including the application form, can be found at Heritage Property.
Should you have any questions on these incentives, or would like to obtain an application form and guideline documents, please call 902-424-5647.
Heritage Property Act
The Heritage Property Act (HPA) of Nova Scotia was established to identify, designate, preserve, conserve, protect and rehabilitate buildings, structures, streetscapes, areas and districts that have historic, architectural, or cultural value. These features can be found in urban and rural environments – what matters is that they speak to us, and should be preserved for future generations.
In 1990, the Act was amended so that municipalities could establish heritage conservation districts. Under these auspices, the Town of Yarmouth has established a Heritage Property By-law and the Collins Heritage Conservation District. For properties located within the District, we may control alterations to existing structures, demolitions, and the design of new structures being built. To learn more about the HPA, please visit the Nova Scotia Legislature website.