On May 26, 2022, Council adopted the Heritage and Economic Development Incentive Program By-law. The program provides grants of up to 80 percent of incremental municipal property taxes, for up to 10 years, to support the redevelopment of vacant or underutilized heritage buildings through Heritage Buildings Conservation Grants.

To learn more about the program, visit winnipegtif.ca.

The City-Wide Heritage Program provides financial assistance to individuals and various types of organizations for initiatives that preserve and interpret Winnipeg's rich heritage. Financial assistance is available through Capital Project Grants and Heritage Research and Interpretive Grants under the Gail Parvin Hammerquist Fund City-Wide Heritage Program.

• Applications for 2023 are now closed
• Applications for 2024 are to be received between January 1 and February 1, 2024.
• Approved applications will be announced in the Spring of 2024.

• Criteria and Procedures
• Research and Interpretive Grant application form
• Capital Project Grant application form

On July 19, 2018, City Council passed The Heritage Conservation Grant Program By-law No. 63/2018, a by-law of The City of Winnipeg to establish a Pilot Program to offer incremental tax grants to encourage the restoration and rehabilitation of vacant or underutilized heritage properties. The Pilot Program will terminate upon approval of three applications, or five years, whichever occurs first.

The Program's objective is to facilitate the conservation and continued use/viability of heritage buildings in Winnipeg by incenting the restoration or rehabilitation of existing buildings. Each applicant must complete an application form which will be available from the Heritage Planner. The City of Winnipeg's funding/incentive for the Program will come from the granting back of actual incremental taxes from the development for a set period of time. There will be no maximum value, only maximum years in the term. Base Grant of 12 years of 80 percent of incremental municipal taxes will be issued in the year after the occupancy permit is issued, and conditional on:

1. Property Listed on the List of Historical Resources under By-law 55/2014
2. Located anywhere within City of Winnipeg boundaries, except within S.H.E.D. or other TIFF zone, and cannot have active approval under any other City tax-based incentive programs
3. Must be vacant or underutilized (may include buildings not occupied, minimally occupied, severely deficient with regards to meeting Building Codes, etc.)
4. Minimum $10,000 in work being undertaken or 20 percent of current assessed value pre-renovation, whichever is less
5. Applicant must be the owner of the property
6. Level and extent of conservation work being undertaken/Compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada
7. Grants are not retroactive (do not apply to work previously completed/no building permit/construction on property prior to application)

Additional considerations in evaluating applications:

1. Financial readiness
2. Redevelopment readiness (pro forma provided/level of market analysis)
3. Development history and experience
4. Length of time building has been vacant, strategic location/context
5. The degree to which the project is likely to prevent the heritage property from being demolished or from deteriorating and the extent to which it will extend the life of the property will be considered.
6. The applicant is expected to illustrate the viability of the project and the anticipated contribution of the project to the vitality of the community. 

For more information, please refer to the By-law or contact the Heritage Planner at ppd‑heritage@winnipeg.ca.

Note: Grants will be transferrable to subsequent owners upon sale of a property with City of Winnipeg approval.

• Program continues at the discretion of City Council.
• Intended to assist a limited number of strategic projects
  • To increase property assessment value
  • To fulfill functions not likely to be displaced from elsewhere in Winnipeg
• Eligible proposals are subject to economic and impact analyses.
• Owners or long-term tenants may apply at any time.
• Proposals must involve a minimum $10,000 in eligible work to repair, stabilize, and rehabilitate designated buildings and to preserve their significant heritage elements.
• City Council retains sole responsibility for accepting or rejecting applications and for setting the amount of tax credit to be allocated to each authorized project.
• The value of an approved tax credit may be up to 50 percent of the net private investment made in eligible work.
• The credit may be used at a recipient's discretion over a maximum 10-year period to reduce qualifying property, business, and amusement taxes levied by the City.