Shoreline Assistance Loan Program

Property owners should assess their property to determine if they are eligible for the Shoreline Assistance Loan Program. Applicants will submit an Expression of Interest (linked in the Forms and Resources section) which confirms the following information:

• Property is within eligible area of the Town.
• Property tax account has no outstanding payments owed to the Town in the last two years.
• Evidence of mortgage lender consent (where applicable). If a Property Owner has one or more outstanding mortgage(s) associated with the property, then the Property Owner must obtain (at his or her own expense) consent from the mortgage lender(s) through a form that the Town will provide. Property owners will advise their mortgage lender(s) of their intention to participate in the Program and receive permission from the lender(s) as a requirement of the Program.

Once the property owner has been prequalified by Town staff, based on the above criteria, the Town will provide Notice to Proceed to the Property Owner.

At this stage, property owners should reach out to the Town of Essex at shoreline@essex.ca or 519-776-7336 to discuss their property and the required steps of the program.

• Details of Improvements and ERCA approval.
  Where not already provided in the Expression of Interest, the Property Owner shall supply sufficient design details describing the nature of the improvements and demonstrating how these works will impact or mitigate flooding and shoreline erosion. In addition, the estimated cost of the works can be included in the report or separately indicated on the Funding Request Form.
• Funding Request Form
  The Property Owner also will need to submit a Funding Request Form (provided by the Town to eligible applicants) that:
  • identifies the improvements that the property owner intends to install based on the permit obtained by the Property Owner from the Essex Region Conservation Authority;
  • identifies the cost for each improvement (including equipment, materials and labour costs); and
  • the amount of prepayment (up to a maximum of 20% of the estimated cost of the work) being requested from the Town upon signing the POA.
• Following receipt of the Funding Request Form, the Town will:
  • Confirm the eligibility of the works (e.g. items affixed to property);
  • Verify the reasonableness of retrofit costs and labour costs by consulting manufacturer pricing and prevailing labour rates;
  • Calculate the administrative costs using a formula that apportions the cost to the Town to operate this program per individual property. The "cost to the Town" includes recurring costs and any non-recurring costs not covered by the grant funding, if any, that the Town has obtained for the Program).
  • Please note, all cost associated with the construction work and application process can be rolled into the loan and requires no down payments or up-front costs.

The above steps will enable the Town to derive the funding amount up to the maximum of either 30 percent of Current Value Assessment for the property or $250,000 to include in the Property Owner Agreement

• Initial Funding Disbursement
  Following execution of the POA, the Town will provide the Property Owner with the initial disbursement agreed upon in the POA to a maximum of 20 percent of the estimated cost of the work that can be used by the Property Owner to pay contractors or suppliers (i.e. security deposit). The property owner will be contractually obligated to repay this initial disbursement to the Town if the property owner does not complete the improvements. The property owner can proceed with hiring contractor(s) and performing the approved improvements to the property. The improvements must be completed within a reasonable timeframe, as stipulated in the POA, to be determined by the Town in its sole discretion.
• Final Funding Disbursement
  As will be detailed in the POA, the Town will provide the final disbursement only after the Property Owner provides a Project Completion Report that:
  • includes a Certificate of Completion that attests the approved shoreline improvement measures having been installed and provides a written verification from ERCA that its permit has been finalized to its satisfaction;
  • indicates the actual costs and useful life for all the works.
• The Town will then verify the completeness and accuracy of the Project Completion Report. The Town may, in its sole discretion, make any reasonable adjustments to the Actual Cost as evidenced on the Project Completion Report, and may, at Property Owner expense, inspect or cause the inspection of the Work in accordance with Section 25 of the POA. The Actual Cost as verified and adjusted by the Town in its sole discretion will constitute the Approved Final Cost.

Once the work has been completed and local improvement charge has been approved by Council, the Treasurer will then add to the Town's tax roll for that property each year that portion of the imposed special charge that is due in that year. 

To facilitate repayment of the annual special charge, the POA will require Property Owners to sign-up for the pre-authorized payment plan option of 12 monthly instalments similar to the existing Program for property tax payments. At any time, a Property Owner can make advance payments, including a one-time payment of the total outstanding amount owing to clear the property of the LIC charge. Failure to make payments is treated with the same remedy as uncollected property taxes which may include penalties and interest charges