On November 20, 2017, Brandon City Council adopted a by-law to establish a municipal heritage incentive program for Municpal Heritage Sites in Brandon. The program encourages owners of Municipal Heritage Sites to presere, restore or rehabilitate buildings or properties that have significant heritage value. Click on the link below for the application form and a summary of the program.

Municipal Heritage Incentive Application Package

Q&A

The following are answers supplementary to the information found in the application package.

• What do you mean by 'ordinary municipal property tax exemption'?

  An exemption will apply only to the portion of your property taxes that are payable to the City of Brandon and determined through assessment of your property.  Other charges such as school taxes, development levies and water charges are not included in the calculations or this program.

• Why is there a minimum eligible project cost of $5,000.00 per application?

  The incentive program is meant to support more significant heritage conservation projects that typically are costlier, and to support the “premium” costs associated with materials and labour to restore heritage character elements compared to using contemporary methods.  The minimum threshold also ensures costs to administer an application do not exceed the eligible incentive value.

• Can I include more than one heritage conservation project in an application?

   

  Yes, you can include more than one project on one Municipal Heritage Site in an application.  For example, you can apply for an incentive to repoint brickwork and rebuild a porch or verandah.

• I have a project that does not meet the $5,000.00 project cost threshold. How can I still apply for the incentive?

   

  You can include more than one project on one Municipal Heritage Site in an application, as long as the total cost of these projects is at least $5,000.00.

• If I apply for the municipal heritage incentive program, may I also apply for other heritage conservation incentives provided by other governments?

   

  Yes, you may apply for other incentives in addition to the municipal heritage incentive program.  If it is another municipal property tax-based program, be advised that the total benefit cannot exceed 50% of eligible costs, or the maximum eligible municipal property taxes payable, whichever is less.

  For the Designated Heritage Buildings Grant Program administered by Manitoba Historic Resources Branch, please visit their webpage for more information, including eligibility and benefits.

  On March 23, 2017, the House of Commons gave second reading to Bill C-323, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (rehabilitation of historic property).  If this bill were to become law, owners of heritage sites may seek income tax credits to offset heritage conservation costs.  Please visit this webpage for more information on how to lobby the Government of Canada to adopt this bill.  We will update this paragraph should the Government of Canada provide updated information.

• I have already done some work on my Municipal Heritage Site. Can I still apply for the incentive to recover those costs?

     

  No.  You must apply for and obtain conditional approval of the heritage incentive before you can proceed with the proposed work.

• Who approves a heritage incentive application?

  The City of Brandon Planning, Property & Buildings Department is the approving authority.

• What happens to my heritage incentive application after I submit it?

  If the application is complete, the City of Brandon Planning, Property & Buildings Department will review the application to ensure the proposal meets all eligibility criteria.  This includes but is not limited to:

  • No outstanding property taxes or other amounts owed to the City of Brandon
  • Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee approving your associated municipal heritage permit application
  • Planning, Property & Buildings issuing an associated building permit, where applicable

   

• My application received conditional approval. What does that mean?

  This means that your heritage incentive application is approved provided you satisfy conditions identified by the City of Brandon Planning, Property & Buildings Department.  Typical conditions include completion of your project in accordance with the approved municipal heritage permit and building permit, and a final inspection to verify such completion.

   

• When will you apply the first heritage incentive installment on my property taxes?

  If you receive final approval to your heritage incentive application before the end of March of a certain year, the first installment should apply on your property taxes of the same year.  If you receive final approval to your heritage incentive application after the end of March, the first installment should apply on your property taxes of the following year.

   

• I received a letter that my heritage incentive was suspended or cancelled. Why is that?

  There are several reasons that we may suspend or cancel your heritage incentive.  Reasons for suspension include but are not limited to as follows:

  • Work is being done on the property that does not comply with applicable laws, by-laws or regulations, such as the Heritage Conservation By-law
  • The property no longer meets the eligibility criteria under which your application was first approved

   

  The suspension may be lifted and the installments resumed if the outstanding issues are corrected.

  Reasons for cancellation include but are not limited to as follows:

  • the outstanding issues that triggered the suspension are not corrected within one (1) year or an alternate timeframe as agreed with the City of Brandon Planning, Property & Buildings Department
  • You sold or transferred ownership of your Municipal Heritage site to a new owner

   

• I have some more questions about the new program. How can I get more information?

  You can contact the Heritage Community Planner at 204-729-2115 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..