Municipal Process to Apply to be Designated for Provincial Disaster Assistance Funding

The Provincial Disaster Assistance Program helps Saskatchewan communities recover from natural disasters and assists with damages for uninsurable, essential property.

Your local authority (city, town, First Nation, village, resort village, rural municipality or provincial park) must apply to be approved for PDAP support.

A local authority must follow the instructions found in the Process for Municipal Claimants and First Nations Bands, as well as the current PDAP General Claim Guidelines to begin the process.

Declaring a local emergency does not make the local government authority eligible for PDAP. For your community to be eligible for PDAP assistance, your local authority must apply to be designated following the processes described in Step 3 and 4 below.

A local authority has three options available when it comes to designating:

1. Designate and apply for assistance for both municipal damages and private damages;
2. Designate and apply for assistance for only municipal damages (if there are no private damages); or
3. Designate and apply for assistance for only private damages (no municipal deductible will be required).

PDAP will assist local authorities with extraordinary non-insurable costs which may include the following:

• repairing or replacing damaged infrastructure, such as a washed-out bridge,
• water-removal projects, including pumping, wet vac truck rentals and hauling water,
• security for evacuated communities, and
• pre-emptive measures, such as sandbagging, firebreaks, fireguards and sprinklers.

PDAP is not a substitute for private insurance nor does it provide full compensation for losses. PDAP provides assistance to return property to its pre-disaster value.

The local government authority (i.e. the municipality or First Nation band council) should contact PDAP if a natural disaster arises or is likely to arise, and PDAP will advise the local authority on how to access the program.

To be designated as an eligible assistance area, the local authority will need to:

1. Ask PDAP officials for a Request for Designation form.
2. Pass a Resolution of Council or Band Council Resolution. (See sample resolutions). 
3. Mail PDAP the completed Request for Designation form and a true, certified copy of a Resolution of Council or Band Council Resolution. Make sure to include:
   1. The dates of the disaster.
   2. Whether the local authority is applying for:
      - Both municipal damages and private damages.
      - Municipal damages only (if there are no private damages).
      - Private damages only (no municipal deductible will be required).
   3. Estimated amount of damage. Estimates over $250,000 require specific descriptions of damages (i.e., three culverts and two bridges washed out).
   4. If the local authority plans to designate for private property damage, include an estimate of the number of residents affected.

Mail PDAP the following original documents:

• The completed Request for Designation form, and
• A true, certified copy of a Resolution of Council or Band Council Resolution.

Both original documents must be delivered to PDAP within one month of the disaster event.  

Address the files to:

   Provincial Disaster Assistance Program
   P.O. Box 227
   Regina, SK
   S4P 2Z6

Once PDAP approves the request for designation, PDAP will send your local authority:

• An outline of next steps
• Important dates to remember, including:
  • the authorization date.
  • the municipal claim deadline. Claims must be received within six months of the authorization date.
  • the restoration deadline. Repairs must be completed within 12 months of the authorization date.

If PDAP approved coverage for claims related to private property, PDAP will also include application forms for residents.

• The local government authority is responsible for informing residents and giving them the application forms. Some communities have considered using flyers to notify residents.
• Direct residents, agricultural operations, small businesses and charitable organizations to this information page to learn how to make a claim once the local authority is approved for PDAP support.

At your request, PDAP may visit your community and set up a recovery centre where residents can review their specific claims with a PDAP official and get assistance in filling out their application forms. 

Your municipality or First Nation may also be eligible for funding to hire a local PDAP Disaster Coordinator for up to six months. To learn more, download PDAP's General Claim Guidelines and view sample job postings for a Municipal Disaster Coordinator or a First Nations Disaster Coordinator

Engineer’s assessment

PDAP will assign an engineer who will contact the local government authority to assess the damages. Generally the engineer will reach out within two to three weeks.

When the engineer’s assessment is complete, PDAP will review and forward the report to the local government authority advising of the eligible and not eligible projects in the report. The engineer’s report is the substantiating document that allows PDAP to begin paying on a claim.

Deductible

The municipal deductible is 0.1% of your most recent SAMA tax assessment. You can contact PDAP for your community’s deductible amount.

Payments

• The initial PDAP payment needs to exceed the deductible amount.
• PDAP may make an advance payment of 60 per cent of the engineer’s estimate less the deductible.
• PDAP may provide progress payments in order to assist with cash flow.

Invoices

• Repairs must be completed, and paid invoices must be submitted for verification.
• Each project will require a Project Site Details Sheet.
  • Always save this form as a new file.
  • Submit a separate Excel file for each project.
  • Include invoices/receipts that clearly document the break‐down of work. For example, if gravel has been dumped, the invoice needs to include the land location and number of yards of gravel.
• Choose two to three large invoices and provide verification of payment (such as a cashed cheque) to speed up the reimbursement process.

All correspondence must include:

• claimant name
• address
• claim number
• contact information

While you must send the original application forms by mail when applying to PDAP, supporting documents and invoices may be sent by email or fax.