Various subsidy programs

The RénoRégion Program wich provides financial assistance for low-income owner-occupiers who live in rural areas, allowing them to carry out the work required to correct major defects in their homes.

Which municipalities are eligible?

The RénoRégion Program applies to all municipalities with a population of less than 15,000 or located in the Gaspésie-îles-de-la-Madeleine region. In municipalities with a population of 15,000 or more, the program applies to areas without municipal water or sewer service.

The program does not apply to the cities of Gatineau and Laval or to the greater Longueuil, Montréal and Québec City areas. Northern villages and Indian reserves are also ineligible.

Who qualifies for the program?

You can take advantage of this program if:

• You are the owner-occupant of a housing unit located in an eligible area, with one or more major defects;
• Your annual household income does not exceed the allowable maximum limit, which varies depending on your region of residence and the size of your household.

Other conditions apply?

The housing unit must be occupied as a primary residence by the owner submitting the application for financial assistance. Note that:

• The building may not have more than two housing units, including that of the owner-occupant;
• The residential portion of a mixed-use building (e.g. ground-floor store with housing unit above) is eligible if it meets the program conditions.

The value of the residence, excluding the land value, must not exceed the maximum set by the municipality or RCM. This value may not exceed $100,000.

Owners who have previously benefited from Québec’s RenoVillage or Low-rent Housing programs – Northern Québec component, during the 10 years prior to their application, or from the Emergency Repair Program over the past five years, are not eligible for this program.

In what form is the financial assistance provided?

The RénoRégion Program provides a grant that is paid out once the work is completed.

This grant may cover up to 95 percent of the approved cost for the eligible work, to a maximum of $12,000.

The cost of eligible work is either the lowest bid received, the amount billed by the contractor or that based on the price list in effect for the program, whichever is the lowest.

The amount of the grant is determined by multiplying the approved cost for the eligible work by the percentage of financial assistance to which you are entitled. This percentage varies depending on the difference between your household income and the applicable income level, which is tied to the region where you live and the size of your household.

What work is covered?

The housing unit must need at least $2,000 of work to correct one or more major defects involving at least one of the following components.

• Exterior walls
• Openings
• Overhangs
• Roofing
• Structure
• Electricity
• Plumbing
• Heating
• Thermal insulation

The work must be performed by a contractor holding the appropriate licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec.

Work must start after approval is received from the Corporation Waskahegen and must be completed within six months of the authorization date.

How can I apply for this financial assistance?

• You first must contact the Corporation Waskahegen, as applicable. They will determine your eligibility for the program and indicate the documents you must submit to establish your file.
• An accredited inspector will then visit the building to draw up a list of the eligible work, which is described in specifications.
• Based on these specifications, you must obtain one or two bids from contractors holding an appropriate licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec, and submit to the Corporation Waskahegen the bid from the contractor who will perform the work.
• The Corporation Waskahegen will complete your file and if everything is in order, send you a certificate of eligibility indicating the amount to which you will be entitled upon completion of the work, provided all program conditions are met. This document will also authorize the owner to start the work.
• Once the work has been completed, the accredited inspector will check that it has been performed as per the specifications and will submit a report to the Corporation Waskahegen. Upon approval of this report, you will be receive the amount to which you are entitled.

The Small Accessible Establishments (PEA) program aims to improve accessibility for people with disabilities or reduced mobility to small establishments. Owners and tenants of commercial, business and meeting facilities that are not subject to legal accessibility requirements will be able to benefit from the program.

More specifically, the objective of this program is to provide financial assistance to the owners and tenants of the buildings concerned for carrying out work enabling the accessibility requirements of the Construction Code (RLRQ, chapter B-1.1, r 2) to be applied.

Eligibility

Applicant

Any person, natural or legal, who is the owner or tenant of a building or part of a building assigned to commercial, business or meeting activities (the following section contains details for all types of eligible buildings) .

The applicant registered in the Register of companies not eligible for public contracts is not eligible for the PEA program.

Building (or part of a building) housing one of the following establishments: :

Business establishment offering on-site service to the public and located in a building of no more than 2 floors.

Definition: Building or part of a building used for the conduct of business or the provision of professional or personal services.

Examples: bank, doctor’s office, dental office, accounting firm, hairdressing or beauty salon, etc.

Commercial establishment with a total floor area of 300 m2 or less.

Definition: Building or part of a building used for the sale of goods or foodstuffs at retail.

Examples: shop, store, market, showroom if there is a sale, etc.

Meeting facility that accepts no more than 9 people.

Definition: A building or part of a building used by people gathered together to engage in various activities or to consume food or drink.

Examples: church basement, parish hall, community hall, restaurant, café, etc.

Other meeting facilities are eligible if they have no barrier-free access and are in any of the following situations:

• which accepts between 10 and 60 people;
• whose area is no more than 250 m2;
• whose floor area cannot be accessed from the public thoroughfare by an exterior ramp without encroaching on this path;
• whose floor area is located more than 900 mm from the level of the public thoroughfare;
• whose floor area is more than 600 mm from the level of the accessible entrance;
• where the difference in level between the pedestrian entrance floor and the elevator floor is greater than 600 mm.

Works

To be eligible, the work must:

• be permanent in nature and be made from items that are permanently attached;
• comply with the accessibility requirements of the Construction Code;
• create simple and economical solutions.

The following work is not eligible:

• Work carried out or started BEFORE the issuance of the eligibility certificate;
• Access work for a second access for the same part of the building;
• Work that is or has been the subject of financial assistance from federal departments or agencies or provincial;
• Work aimed at bringing installations that are not related to the accessibility project into compliance.

Eligible work is divided into three divisions:

Division 1 – Access to the establishment

Examples: addition of a landing stage, a threshold, an access ramp, a parking space reserved for people with reduced mobility.

Division 2 – Barrier-free route inside the establishment for access to services and the washroom for customers

Examples: standardization of floor levels, installation of an access ramp, widening of doors, installation of electric door openers.

Division 3 – Use of the guest washroom

Examples: rearrangement to allow an adequate maneuvering area, installation of technical aids (grab bars, handrails), release of the vanity, lowering of the switch.

Order of priority of work

The carrying out of eligible work must follow the following order of priority:

• Access to the establishment
• Improvement of the obstacle-free route inside the establishment for access to services and the washroom for customers
• Use of the customer washroom

Conditions relating to the work

In particular, the work must be carried out by a contractor registered in the Register of license holders of the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ), begin after having been approved by the Waskahegen Corporation and be completed within the twelve months from the date on which they were authorized.

Financial aid

The maximum financial assistance that can be paid under the program is $ 15,000 per eligible institution. The amount of the subsidy is calculated by applying an aid rate of 75% to the recognized cost.

If the eligible work is or has been the subject of financial assistance under the programs of a municipal entity, the financial assistance granted by this program must ensure that the total cumulative assistance does not exceed 75% of the total recognized cost.

The PEA program provides that a subsidy is paid only when the work is completed and verified.

Participation in the program

• Contact the Waskhegen Corporation to obtain the participation request form.
• Complete the participation request form and attach the requested documents. Send everything to the Waskahegen Corporation.
• An accredited inspector will determine if your request is eligible and schedule a site visit.
• The accredited inspector produces plans and specifications. In some cases, the expertise of an engineer or architect may be required; in this case, it is the latter who drafts the plans and specifications.
• Based on the plans and specifications, you must obtain at least two quotes from contractors with an appropriate RBQ license and send them to the accredited inspector.
• The Waskahegen Corporation will complete your file and, if everything is in order, will send you an eligibility certificate indicating the amount to which you will be entitled at the end of the work if all the conditions of the program are met. This document also authorizes you to start work.
• When the work is completed, the accredited inspector will check whether it has been carried out in accordance with the estimate. Upon approval by the latter, the amount to which you are entitled will be paid to you.

These programs permit the construction of new residential units for the persons with low to modest income. However, only the municipalities whose rate of inoccupation is lower than 3% are acceptable within this program.

Corporation Waskahegen is presently working at the realization of some projects, mainly in the municipalities meeting the criteria of those programs.

Get additional information for programs by contacting our head office:

Phone : 418 276-7551
corpo@waskahegen.com