Updated Community Improvement Plan Provides New Grant Opportunities and Funding in South Bruce

For Immediate Release
September 14, 2023

SOUTH BRUCE, ON – The Community Improvement Plan (CIP) for South Bruce has been expanded to cover the entire municipality. Now that the CIP is municipal-wide, an additional $15,625 in funding is available to eligible business and property owners in South Bruce.

The CIP adopts a program of financial incentives that encourage the redevelopment and improvement of private lands throughout the Municipality, with an aim to enhance the character of South Bruce.

The new grants are the Agri-Food Innovation Grant, the Business Accessibility Adaptability Grant, the Product and Experience Development Grant, and the Residential Improvement Grant. The grants are offered through Bruce County’s Spruce the Bruce program as part of the 2023 budget, and eligible business and property owners are encouraged to submit their applications to Bruce County for consideration before year-end.

The Agri-Food Innovation Grant provides funding for agricultural operators to improve or implement new value-added and innovative technologies, software, and hardware.

The Business Accessibility Adaptability Grant provides funding for business and property owners to upgrade or renovate the exterior or interior of their commercial building to remove or reduce barriers for people with disabilities.

The Product and Experience Development Grant provides funding for tourism business and property owners of tourism establishments to improve the visitor experience by making upgrades and enhancements to their products, services, and physical location.

The Residential Improvement Grant provides funding for business and property owners to upgrade or renovate their mixed-use (commercial-residential) building to add new residential units or increase occupancy in existing units for long-term rental use.

The grants are available to any eligible business or property in South Bruce, excluding the Residential Improvement Grant, which is specifically available to mixed-use properties for the downtown priority areas of Teeswater, Formosa and Mildmay.

Full description of the priority areas, and the South Bruce Community Improvement Plan are available on the municipal website. Available grants can also be found on the municipal website and Bruce County’s website. For more information on the grants, please contact Rhonda Niesen at the Municipality of South Bruce at rniesen@southbruce.ca.

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