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Residential Improvement Grant

Adding to the number of residential units available for rent will help increase the supply of housing options accessible for local residents. Focusing on downtowns and mixed-use zones will help rental tenants gain access to employment opportunities and using personal and professional services in the downtown without requiring access to a vehicle.
Spruce the Bruce Residential Improvement Grant

Spruce the Bruce Business Grants

The Residential Improvement grant provides funding for business and property owners to upgrade or renovate their mixed-use (commercial-residential) building to add new residential units or increase occupancy in existing units for long-term rental use.

Spruce the Bruce Residential Improvement Grant

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for the grant:

The applicant must be the property owner.

The building must be mixed-use (commercial-residential), located within a downtown core or mixed-use zone of a Community Improvement Project Area (CIPA) in one of the following communities: Chesley, Paisley and Tara (Arran-Elderslie); Cargill, Chepstow, Elmwood, Pinkerton, or Walkerton (Brockton), Ferndale, Lion's Head, or Tobermory (Northern Bruce Peninsula), or Formosa, Mildmay, or Teeswater (South Bruce).

The renovations and upgrades must comply with Municipal by-laws and have received appropriate permits and permissions.

Project work must not have started (including purchasing any materials) until the application has been approved.

Properties previously awarded grants are not eligible for additional funding under the same grant category unless:

  • The grant was provided more than five years ago; or
  • Either the tenant and/or property owner changed since the last grant was provided; or
  • The application is clearly for different physical elements of the building/property (as determined by County Staff)

Max Funding: 

50% of total project cost (excluding taxes) up to $4,000.

Eligible Projects 

Eligible projects may include, but are not limited to:

  • Supplies and labour related to the development of a new unit or expansion of existing units
  • Supplies and labour related to necessary building code or fire code requirements
  • Other approved by Bruce County permanent renovations or upgrades that add a new residential unit or increase the capacity of an existing residential unit

Ineligible Projects 

Ineligible projects include, but are not limited to:

  • Removable or temporary items (e.g., furniture, decorative items)
  • Projects that do not result in a new residential unit or increase the occupancy of an existing residential unit
  • New building construction

Community Improvement Plan (CIP) Areas

Community Improvement Plan (CIP) is a tool that allows a municipality to direct funds and implement policy initiatives toward a specifically defined project area and are intended to encourage rehabilitation initiatives and/or stimulate development.

Eligible Communities with Community Improvement Project Areas (CIPAs) applicable for this grant include: Municipal-wide for Arran-Elderslie (communities of Chesley, Paisley and Tara); Municipal-wide for Brockton (communities of Cargill, Chepstow, Elmwood, Pinkerton, and Walkerton); Municipal-wide for Northern Bruce Peninsula (communities of Ferndale, Lion's Head, and Tobermory); and Municipal-wide for South Bruce (communities of Formosa, Mildmay, and Teeswater).

Have questions or require more information?