Community Improvement Plan

Applications are now being accepted for non-housing related grants until May 22, 2026.

Submissions for housing-related grants will be accepted on a continuous intake.

To schedule a pre-consultation and to learn more, please contact cip@kenora.ca.

The City of Kenora has adopted a new Community Improvement Plan (CIP), which designates the entire municipality as the Community Improvement Project Area.

The CIP introduces sixteen grants to support development, including fee rebates, tax increment grants, surplus land disposition, housing grants to support the development of additional residential units (ARUs), multi unit buildings, upper storey conversions of a commercial building, façade and signage improvements, accessibility upgrades, CPTED safety enhancements, environmental site assessment support, improved energy efficiency grants for commercial and industrial buildings, and activation programs for Harbourtown Centre such as ground floor commercial conversions and sidewalk patio grants.

These programs under the new CIP aim to promote activities such as increased housing supply, beautification, economic growth, community safety, and reinvestment in underutilized properties within the municipality. Council will have the opportunity to determine funding availability and priorities annually.

View the 2026 Community Improvement Plan

Subject lands

The new Community Improvement Project Area and CIP apply to all lands within the municipal boundary of the City of Kenora. As such, no key map is provided.

By-law 018-2026 Community Improvement Plan Area

Financial incentive programs

Grant and incentive streams are available in certain targeted program areas. To inquire about your eligibility, contact cip@kenora.ca

Municipal

See the overview of the financial incentive programs available under the Municipal theme.

Planning and building permit fees grant

A waiver of up to 50% of the municipal fees, to a maximum of $5,000, or as determined at the discretion of Council, to assist with the cost of various application and permit fees.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.1 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Tax increment equivalent grant

A percentage rebate on the annual municipal property taxes (municipal portion only) resulting from the increased assessment value generated by property development / redevelopment, which offsets the increase in municipal property tax resulting from property improvements.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.2 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Municipal surplus land disposition

To permit the sale and disposition of surplus lands owned by the City of Kenora below market value to promote the development of new residential, commercial, mixed use, or industrial development.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.3 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Housing

See the overview of the financial incentive programs available under the Housing theme.

Additional residential units grant

A grant of up to 50% of eligible costs, up to a maximum of $10,000 per additional residential unit, or as determined at the discretion of Council.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.4 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Multi-unit housing grant

A grant of up to 50% of eligible costs up to a maximum of $5,000 per dwelling unit with an additional maximum of $10,000 per affordable dwelling unit (i.e., up to a total maximum of $15,000 per affordable dwelling unit). The total maximum per property would be determined at the discretion of Council.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.5 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Residential conversion and intensification grant – upper storey(s)

A grant of up to 50% of the cost of renovating and converting units located on the second storey or higher to a residential use, up to a maximum of $10,000 per dwelling unit, or as determined at the discretion of Council.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.6 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Building and property improvements

See the overview of the financial incentive programs available under the Building and Property Improvements theme.

Accessibility grant

A grant of up to 50% of the construction costs, to a maximum of $10,000, or as determined at the discretion of Council.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.7 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) grant

A grant of up to 75% of CPTED costs, up to a maximum of $10,000, or as determined at the discretion of Council.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.8 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Energy efficiency grant

A grant of up to 50% of eligible costs, to a maximum of $10,000, or as determined at the discretion of Council.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.9 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Façade improvement grant

A grant of up to 50% of the construction costs, to a maximum of $25,000, or as determined at the discretion of Council.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.10 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Signage improvement grant

A grant of up to 50% of the construction costs, to a maximum of $5,000, or as determined at the discretion of Council.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.11 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Landscaping and property improvement grant

A grant of up to 50% of the construction costs, to a maximum of $15,000, or as determined at the discretion of Council.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.12 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Environmental site assessment grant

A grant up to 50% of the cost of undertaking an eligible study, to a maximum of $6,000 per study, or as determined at the discretion of Council.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.13 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Kenora economic development and growth incentive

A grant to facilitate and expedite development or redevelopment of key Priority Properties within the Community Improvement Project Area, which would result in substantive community benefits, and where their revitalization would function as a broader catalyst to advance revitalization priorities in Kenora.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.14 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Harbourtown Centre activation

See the overview of the financial incentive programs available under the Harbourtown Centre Activation theme.

Ground floor commercial activation grant

A grant of up to 50% of the cost of renovating and converting the interior of ground floor uses to a commercial use (e.g., retail, restaurant, entertainment), up to a maximum of $25,000, or as determined at the discretion of Council.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.15 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

Sidewalk patio and pop-ups grant

A grant of up to 100% of eligible costs, up to a maximum of $5,000, or as determined at the discretion of Council, to support professional fees and/or construction costs associated with the design and installation of the sidewalk patio.

View the full details and program areas in Section 4.16 of the 2026 Community Improvement Plan.

How to apply

Interested applicants are required to complete a pre-consultation in advance of a submission to discuss project eligibility.

To schedule a pre-consultation or request the application form, contact us at cip@kenora.ca.

Applications for non-housing related grants are currently being accepted until May 22, 2026.

Applications for housing-related grants will be accepted on a continuous intake basis.

Application process

View the four step application process:

Step 1 - pre-application consultation, application submission and acceptance

Applicant presents project to City staff
Staff confirm eligibility and application requirements
Applicant submits complete application

Step 2 - review and evaluation of an accepted application

Staff review application against CIP vision and goals
Staff prepare a report, including recommendation of any applicable funding

Step 3 - application approval and Financial Incentive Program agreement

Application is approved and an Agreement is entered into between the City and applicant

Step 4 - completion of Community Improvement works and grant payment(s)

Applicant demonstrates to Staff that approved works have been completed, as outlined in the
Agreement
Grant payment is distributed to the applicant, if applicable

General eligibility

All the Financial Incentive Programs contained in this CIP are subject to the following general requirements, as well as the individual requirements specified under each program.

The general and program-specific requirements contained in this CIP are not necessarily exhaustive, and the City reserves the right to include other requirements and conditions as deemed necessary:

General eligibility

The subject property must be located in the Community Improvement Project Area (CIPA) as designated by municipal by-law at the time of the application;
All proposed projects must, in the opinion of City Council, staff, and/or the CIP Administrators, generally contribute to achieving, and not conflict with, the vision and goals of this Plan as set out in Section 2.0;
Proposed projects must represent a permanent improvement to the property or building, and not a lifecycle replacement of existing materials or structures. Seasonal improvements (e.g., outdoor patios) are only considered eligible if specified under the individual Financial Incentive Programs. For clarity, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, trailers, sheds, and similar nonpermanent elements shall not be considered eligible, unless otherwise specified under the individual Financial Incentive Programs;
Proposed projects shall be in accordance with, or exceed, the requirements of the Ontario Building Code, Fire Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and Property Standards By-law, as applicable to the property;
If a proposed project involves improvements to a designated heritage building and/or property under the Ontario Heritage Act or a non-designated building and/or property of cultural heritage value or interest listed on a municipal heritage register, or if the proposed project is located on a property that is adjacent to such buildings and/or properties, the proposed project improvements shall be required to maintain the heritage attributes of such buildings and/or properties, or complement and avoid adverse impacts on any heritage attributes on adjacent properties. Until such time that the City reconvenes the Heritage Kenora Committee, the City’s Planning Division may be consulted as part of the application evaluation process for proposed projects that have the potential to impact heritage attributes;
Where a proposed project is for affordable housing, the definition of “affordable” shall be consistent with the definition provided in the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 (PPS 2024), as may be amended by the Province from time to time, and which is based on the definition established by the CMHC. This definition may change as required to comply with Federal and/or Provincial initiatives and amendments. Further, at the sole discretion of Council, an alternative definition of “affordable” may be applied to an eligible application that meets the eligibility criteria of this CIP. Eligible affordable housing projects may comprise a mix of affordable and market rent units;
Due to administrative costs, applications for grants less than $500 shall not be considered;
An application for any Financial Incentive Program contained in this Plan must be submitted to the City prior to the commencement of any site works and/or issuance of a building permit, as applicable;
If the applicant is not the owner of the property, the applicant must provide written consent from the owner of the property to make the application;
An application for any Financial Incentive Program contained in this Plan must include plans, estimates, contracts, reports, and other details, as required by the City, to satisfy the City with respect to project costs and conformity to this Plan, as well as all municipal by-laws, policies, procedures, standards and guidelines, including Official Plan, Zoning By-law, and Site Plan requirements and approvals;
As a condition of application approval, the applicant shall be required to enter into an agreement with the City. The agreement shall specify the terms, duration, and default provisions of the incentive to be provided;
Where other sources of government and/or non-profit organization funding (federal, provincial, etc.) that can be applied against the eligible costs are anticipated or have been secured, these must be declared as part of the application. Accordingly, the grant may be reduced on a pro-rated basis;
The City reserves the right to audit the cost of any and all works that have been approved under any of the Financial Incentive Programs, at the expense of the applicant;
The City is not responsible for any costs incurred by an applicant in relation to any of the programs, including costs incurred in anticipation of a tax assistance and/or grant payment;
If the applicant is in default of any of the general or program specific requirements, or any other requirements of the City, the City may delay, reduce or cancel the approved tax assistance and/or grant payment and require repayment of the approved tax assistance and/or grant;
City staff, officials, and/or agents may inspect any property that is the subject of an application for any of the Financial Incentive Programs offered by the City;
Eligible applicants may apply for one (1) or more of the Financial Incentive Programs contained in this Plan, unless otherwise specified under the individual Financial Incentive Programs. No two (2) programs may be used to pay for the same eligible cost.
The total of all tax assistance and grants to be provided by the City in respect of a subject property may not exceed the total eligible costs of the improvements to that property.
There are no specific restrictions on the number of applications that may be submitted by a property owner or tenant in relation to a specific property. The intent of providing this flexibility is to allow applicants to phase in components of their projects over time, should it be necessary. However, the City may reject an application where it is of the opinion that the proposed works have already been undertaken as part of a previously approved application, except as specified under the individual Financial Incentive Programs where there has been a change of property ownership, or the previously completed improvements have reached the end of their lifecycle and require rehabilitation.
The subject property must not be in arrears of any municipal taxes or other charges;
All expenses that are eligible for the Financial Incentive Programs contained herein must be paid in full with proof of payment provided; the amount of the incentive shall be reimbursed as a grant to the applicant. Grants shall only be paid out when the work has been completed and proof of payment are submitted to the City;
Outstanding work orders from any of the City’s Departments must be addressed prior to grant approval; and
Applications for Financial Incentive Programs must meet the eligibility criteria set out for each individual incentive program, as set out in Section 4.0, as well as the general requirements for submitting applications as outlined in Section 5.4 of this Plan.