Financial Assistance Programs

The majority of natural area in the watershed is owned and managed by private landowners, so the health of our communities and environment depend on their efforts. The Water Quality and Habitat Improvement Program is a funding incentive program that supports landowners who are carrying out projects that contribute to water and habitat quality. Project types that are considered for this program include:

• Agricultural Best Management Practices
• Creek Restoration
• Tree Planting
• Meadow Creation/Enhancement
• Wetland Restoration
• Rainwater Conservation
• Invasive Plant Management

If the project you are interested in cannot be found on this list, but still has water quality or habitat benefits, please contact us at stewardship@hrca.on.ca. We will let you know whether or not the project can be submitted for review.

For more detailed information about the Water Quality and Habitat Improvement Program, please review the following guidelines, based on that which best fits your property:

• Agricultural Properties Guidelines
• Countryside Properties Guidelines
• Urban Properties Guidelines
• Commercial Properties Guidelines

This annual financial support program receives applications until Thanksgiving of the year prior for projects planned in the upcoming year. Submissions are reviewed and evaluated by the Project Technical Advisory Committee using the following attributes:

1. Does the project address a water quality impairment?
2. Does the project address a habitat impairment?
3. Does the project contribute to improving water quality?
4. Does the project contribute to improving habitat quality?
5. Is the project located adjacent to, or in close proximity to a natural area?
6. Does the project raise public awareness of water quality and habitat issues or opportunities?

Projects are not required to meet all of these attributes, but must meet at least one to be considered. Funding availability varies each year and unfortunately not all projects that merit funding will receive funding.

• Project Funding Application
• Project Agreement
• Landowner Reporting Form

Landowners interested in financial support for their project are required to consult with Restoration staff prior to submitting their proposal. Contact the Restoration team at stewardship@hrca.on.ca.

*Please note that a site visit with Restoration staff is required before applying to the Water Quality and Habitat Improvement Program.

Conservation Halton is looking for landowners interested in planting trees on their properties.

Program requirements:

1. Minimum 500 trees to be planted may qualify
2. Minimum 0.5 acres of open land that can be planted
3. Willing to protect the trees from livestock, wildlife and machinery damage
4. Able to cover the remaining costs of the tree planting after subsidies
5. Eligible project types include afforestation, riparian, windbreak, and restoration
6. Willing to sign 15 year agreement stating you will not cut, harvest, or otherwise remove the trees from the planted area for a minimum of 15 years after planting

Forestry staff will conduct a free site visit and create a plan for your property. Staff will manage the installation (planting) of the trees and monitoring, tending and infilling at one, two and five years is included.

Conservation Halton can also help you access and apply to funding programs to reduce the cost of tree planting. There is funding available from several sources, including the 50 Million Tree Program from Forest Canada and the 2 Billion Tree Program from the Government of Canada.

If you think your property qualifies for this program, please contact us as treeplanting@hrca.on.ca

The Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program is available to landowners who own four hectares (9.88 acres) or more of land that is forested, and agree to prepare and follow a Forest Management Plan for their property. Under this program, landowners have the forested part of their property assessed and classified as “Managed Forest” and taxed at 25 percent of the municipal tax rate for residential properties.

Conservation Halton can assist landowners in compiling and submitting a Forest Management Plan based on forestry practices and landowner objectives. Costs associated with participation in this program can be reduced by funding opportunities through the Region of Halton.

For more information about the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program, please visit the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry or contact our Managed Forest Plan Approvers by emailing us at forestry@hrca.on.ca

Most of our infrastructure has been designed to move water through our urban landscape as quickly as possible. As a result, creeks and other bodies of water are overwhelmed with the amount of water and suspended particulates during rainfall and snowmelt. The Rainwater Conservation Fund supports urban landowner projects, greenhouse projects, and nursery projects that divert and infiltrate rainwater into the ground on the landowners property.

Eligible projects include:

• Bioswales
• Infiltration trenches
• Soakaway pits/rain gardens
• Clean water diversion
• Water retention/storage systems
• Detention basins
• Permeable pavement/pavers
• Projects that demonstrate the retention, infiltration, or conservation of rainwater

Landowners are eligible to receive a grant of up to $7,500.

Please note: funding availability and rate varies each year.

In an effort to address source water quality issues within the Hamilton Harbour watershed and in partnership with the Province of Ontario, funding is available for the following areas in 2024 and 2025:

• Burlington (Aldershot, Brant Hills, Pleasantview, Tyandaga, and part of North Burlington)
• Hamilton (Millgrove, Waterdown)

How to apply:

1. Connect with Restoration staff for a free site visit to determine eligibility.
2. Complete the Rainwater Conservation Fund Application and submit by email to stewardship@hrca.on.ca

Applications will be received and reviewed at the end of each month. In the case of reaching annual funding limitations, applications received within the same month will be ranked and funded based on ecological merit.

To learn more about this program, please contact a Landowner Outreach Technician at stewardship@hrca.on.ca

If your well is unused or has been improperly filled and sealed, you should decommission it, safely, to protect the groundwater and prevent health and safety issues for yourself and others in your community. Landowners are eligible to receive funding to decommission wells on their properties. (Please note that funding availability varies by region.)

Halton Region

Residents can apply for a grant to support the decommissioning of a well on their property through the Residential Private Well Decommissioning Grant. The grant covers 50 percent of the total cost up to a maximum of $1000 per well.

City of Hamilton

Residents can apply for a grant to support the decommissioning of a well on their property through the Wellhead Abandonment program. The grant covers 100 percent of the cost up to $1000 per well and is administered by Conservation Halton. The decommissioning must be completed by a licensed well contractor in order to be eligible.

Project Details:

• Must comply with Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) procedures for plugging or abandoning unused water wells according to Ontario Regulation 903 under the Ontario Water Resources Act.
• A drilled well inside a dug well is considered one project and therefore qualifies for one grant only.
• The contractor is required to complete a Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Well Record to document the steps taken to plug the well. A copy of the well record must be submitted upon completion to the program representative.
• If you have an existing well record for the well that you are proposing to upgrade, please include a copy with the application form. If you do not have a well record, please see below for guidance on determining if a well record exists.
• Information on licensed well contractors and well records can be found on the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Park’s Directory of Licensed Well Contractors in Ontario or by contacting the Water Well Help Desk at wellshelpdesk@ontario.ca
• Please be aware that funding is not available retroactively.

If you are interested in applying for funding for decommission a well on your property, please contact a Landowner Outreach Technician at stewardship@hrca.on.ca