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• The Brownfields Financial Tax Incentive Program allows municipalities to provide property tax assistance to property owners for the purposes of environmental rehabilitation of brownfields properties within an approved Community Improvement Plan (CIP) project area. Municipalities may also apply for matching education property tax assistance from the Province. Contact your local Municipal Services Office for further information.
  
  
• Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
  To assist with brownfield redevelopment and public infrastructure development, the Province recently passed legislation to enable Tax Increment Financing.  As a new fiscal tool for municipalities, TIF will be introduced on a pilot basis to allow for review by the provincial government. The two pilot projects are the subway expansion involving York Region and the City of Toronto, and the West Don Lands brownfield redevelopment initiative, part of the revitalization of Toronto’s waterfront.

• Community Improvement Plans (CIPs) allow municipalities to set out the municipal policy framework for the rehabilitation of existing built-up areas. They may also include municipal financial assistance programs related to land, grants, loans and tax assistance that are intended to encourage and stimulate private sector investment in municipal priority areas. For more information, contact your local Municipal Services Office.
  
  

• The Municipal Statute Law Amendment Act, 2006 (Bill 130) removes provincial Crown liens where a municipality chooses to assume ownership of a property that has failed a tax sale.  Municipalities are now also able to advertise eligible brownfield properties as “free and clear” of all provincial crown liens upon sale.  This legislation also removed provincial oversight on CIPs to reduce excess time delays in getting municipal incentive programs in the plan.

Resources

• Community Improvement Planning Handbook
  This handbook is intended to inform and assist municipalities and others interested in community improvement planning under section 28 of the Planning Act. It includes practical information on how to access the provincial Brownfields Financial Tax Incentive Program.
  
  
• Planning and Revitalization Tools for Commercial Areas in Small Towns
  Small communities in Ontario wishing to revitalize their downtown or commercial area will benefit from a handy list of provincial tools and resources.

• Municipal Financial Incentives for Brownfield Redevelopment (76KB)
  
  
• Financial Tools for Brownfields Redevelopment(2.34MB)
  This document explains the various ways in which municipalities can offer financial incentives to the private sector for brownfield redevelopment and remediation.
  

Related Programs

• Building Canada Fund Finances Community Based Infrastructure Projects.
  On September 12, 2008 Ontario launched the $200 million first intake of the Building Canada Fund-Communities Component (BCF-CC) program, giving Ontario’s smaller towns and rural communities (those with population under 100,000 people) increased access to infrastructure funding. Over the next six years, the federal and provincial governments will each contribute a total of $362 million to the program for a combined investment of $724 million. Designed as a competitive, application-based program, the BCF-CC will finance 17 categories of community-based infrastructure projects of which brownfield redevelopment is one (for program details, go to www.bcfontario.ca). Eligible municipalities can submit an application for the first intake on or before November 21, 2008 either on-line, by email or mailing in a completed application form. The BCF-CC is one component of the broader Building Canada Plan.
  
  
• Canada–Ontario Affordable Housing Program - Brownfields Initiative
  The Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program is funding eight affordable housing projects to be built on cleaned-up brownfield sites in the cities of Brantford, Cambridge, Ottawa, St. Catharines and Woodstock. This will help address the lack of affordable housing in older urban areas.
  
  The Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program involves a commitment of $301 million each from the federal and provincial governments. Together with municipal governments, at least $734 million will be invested in the program to provide affordable housing for 20,000 households in Ontario
• AHP-Brownfields Initiative  (107KB)
  
  
• Infrastructure Ontario is a Crown corporation dedicated to the renewal of the province’s hospitals, courthouses, and other essential public assets. Ensuring appropriate public control and ownership, Infrastructure Ontario uses alternative financing and procurement to rebuild vital infrastructure, on time and on budget.
  
  
• The Rural Economic Development (RED) program invests in projects that support sustainable rural communities and community partnerships. Revitalization of communities, which may include brownfields redevelopment, is a program priority.