Impacted Sites Fund
Saskatchewan municipalities can apply for funding to clean up abandoned, environmentally impacted sites through the Impacted Sites Fund.
Administered by the Ministry of Environment, the fund provides financial support to municipal governments to clean up these sites so they can be used for future economic or social development opportunities. An abandoned, environmentally impacted site is an area, such as a former gas station or laundromat, that has been contaminated.
The program is funded from fines collected when an infraction occurs under The Environmental Management and Protection Act, 2010. As fines are collected, additional funding will be available for municipalities through the Impacted Sites Fund.
1. Eligibility
Municipal governments and municipal partnerships, which may include municipally owned corporations, not-for-profit organizations, and private companies, are eligible to apply for project funding to clean up the contaminated sites using the Impacted Sites Fund. Municipal government applicants include:
- cities;
- towns;
- urban and rural municipalities;
- northern municipalities;
- hamlets;
- villages;
- regions; or
- local boards of a municipal government authority identified from 1 through 6.
2. How to Apply
Municipalities and municipal partnerships can apply for funding by filling out an application form and submitting it through the Ministry of Environment's Online Portal. In the application form, the applicant will need to provide technical and non-technical information, as explained below, regarding the contaminated site and the proposed project.
The technical information required in the application is typically obtained through an Environmental Site Assessment for the contaminated site. Using the National Classification System for Contaminated Sites, this information will be used to calculate a score indicating the current or potential negative impact on human health and the environment. Applicants can also apply for funding assistance for the costs related to conducting an Environmental Site Assessment on the contaminated site.
The non-technical information required in the application form includes details of how the site will be cleaned up and what social, economic and strategic benefits the municipality or municipal partnership hopes to gain from cleaning up the site.
3. Apply
Applications are not funded on a first-come, first-served basis. They are prioritized by ministry officials, taking into consideration the technical information derived from the National Classification System for Contaminated Sites (NCSCS) score that assesses the severity of the contamination. This score ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 being the highest priority for cleaning up. Those sites that receive a score:
- of 70 to 100 will be eligible to receive up to 100 per cent of the costs to clean up the site;
- of 50 to 69.9 will be eligible to receive up to 75 per cent of the costs to clean up the site;
- of 37 to 49.9 will be eligible to receive up to 50 per cent of the costs to clean up the site; and
- below 37 will be eligible to receive up to 25 per cent of the costs to clean up the site.
The non-technical information provided in the application (e.g. benefits of the project) will allow the ministry to assess the proposed project's socioeconomic impact. This assessment will help determine the level of funding that should be provided for those sites not already receiving 100 percent of funding through the NCSCS score.
4. Further Information
For assistance or more information about the Impacted Sites Fund, please contact the Ministry of Environment Inquiry Centre at 1-800-567-4224 or centre.inquiry@gov.sk.ca.