Water & Municipal Tax Affordability Programs

Water Utility Rebate Program

This program applies a rebate to the participant’s monthly water utility bill. The rebate is $0.66 per day, or approximately $20 per month. Very low-income households have the potential to receive an enhanced rebate of $1.32 per day, or approximately $40 per month. The rebate is applied at the time of billing.

• The applicant must be the customer on the water utility bill.
• Households in multi-residential properties where water is included in their rent are not eligible.

You can email APRSprograms@regina.ca for more information.

High-Efficiency Water Retrofit Program

This program provides eligible households with support to obtain water efficiency audits and high-efficiency water fixtures such as a toilet, showerheads, kitchen and bathroom sink faucets and faucet aerators.

Approved households will receive a voucher which can be used to have a pre-approved plumbing contractor conduct a water efficiency audit to identify opportunities for efficiency improvements and to install high-efficiency water fixtures. The contractor will work with program participants to identify what fixtures are needed to meet their needs.

The voucher will indicate the maximum amount that may be spent on each type of fixture. Program participants are responsible for any costs that exceed the maximum amount.

Applicants who rent their residence must complete the High-Efficiency Water Retrofit Property Owner Consent Form and submit it with their application.

Benefits are provided on a first-come basis until program funding for the year is exhausted.

You can email APRSprograms@regina.ca for more information.

Low-Income Municipal Property Tax Deferral Program

This program allows approved households to defer a portion of their municipal property tax. Approved applicants would be eligible to defer $600, $1,200 or the incremental increase in municipal taxes from the prior year.

The application deadline is March 1, 2023 for the calendar year.

The program allows approved households to defer a portion of their municipal property taxes until:

• The property title is sold or transferred;
• The senior citizen or person with a disability no longer lives in the household;
• The property owner begins to fall behind in tax, utility or other payments owing to the City; or
• If the applicant is found to have given false or misleading information.

This program does not apply to Library or Education taxes.

You can email APRSprograms@regina.ca or refer to The Low-Income Municipal Property Tax Deferral Program Bylaw, 2022 for more information.

Eligibility

Each program has specific eligibility requirements, but in general your household may be eligible if it meets the following criteria:

• Your household owns the property or has its own water utility account, depending on the program. For example, households in multi-residential properties where water is included in rent are not eligible for the Water Utility Rebate Program.
• Low-income status: Households would be considered to have low income if gross household income (total before-tax income for each person in the household over the age of 18 years) is less than or equal to the Before-Tax Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO) for the appropriate household size published by Statistics Canada for the most recent year. Gross household income is the combined total annual income before income taxes of each resident in the taxpayer’s household age 18 years and older as identified in each resident’s most recent Notice of Assessment issued by Canada Revenue Agency. The calculation includes the income for all household residents 18 years and older and the total number of residents in the household, including children.
• If the total before-tax income of everyone in your household age 18 and older is less than or equal to the following amounts:

2022 Before-Tax Low Income Cut-off Amounts

• There is at least one senior citizen or person living with a disability living in the household.
  • A senior citizen is a person age 65 years or older or who will be age 65 years or older in the year the application is submitted (or the year in which a tax deferral is received).
  • A person is considered to be a person living with a disability if they have a significant and enduring disability that is permanent in nature and/or individuals assessed as having a temporary disability that impacts capacity to attain full-time employment.

If your household owes taxes, utilities or other payments to the City, you will need to enter into a payment plan to be eligible for the programs.

You can email APRSprograms@regina.ca or refer to the Water & Municipal Tax Affordability Application Form for more information.

How to Apply

To apply, please complete the Water & Municipal Tax Affordability Programs Application Form. Make sure to include the required supporting documentation when submitting your application form. You may submit your application form in one of three ways:

• Email: APRSprograms@regina.ca
• Mail: Assessment & Property Revenue Services, City Hall, 2476 Victoria Avenue, Regina, SK S4P 3C8
• In-person: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday at one of the following locations:
  • City Hall, 2476 Victoria Avenue
  • Northwest Leisure Centre, 1127 Arnason Street
  • Sportplex, 1717 Elphinstone Street
  • Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre, 3130 East Woodhams Drive

Note: Supporting documentation (see below list of documents in the Application Requirements) can be presented to a Customer Service Representative at the in-person locations noted above. Supporting documentation will be reviewed to confirm program eligibility and returned to the applicant.

The average processing time is two to three weeks from the date received. Processing time may vary based on the volume of applications received.

Other Programs

You may also be interested in other affordability programs offered by the City of Regina, SaskPower and SaskEnergy, or the financial assistance programs provided by the Government of Saskatchewan.