Housing Incentives

The Development of Vacant Property Abatement is available for new residential, commercial or mixed-use development that is constructed on a property within the Downtown Zone that has been vacant for more than 5 years.

This incentive is a five-year declining tax abatement.

Downtown Mixed-Use Development Abatement

The Downtown Mixed-use Development Abatement is targeted towards new mixed-use development that is constructed within the Downtown Zone, and that is 12 metres or higher, has a minimum of 4 dwelling units, and has commercial uses at street-level.

Developments that are constructed with a minimum of 10 dwelling units must dedicate 10% as affordable housing.

This incentive is five years of full tax abatement.

Residential Central Mixed-Used Development Abatement

The Residential Central Mixed-Use Development Abatement is targeted towards new mixed-use development that is constructed within the Residential Central Zone, and that has a minimum of 4 dwelling units, and has commercial uses at street-level.

Developments that are constructed with a minimum of 10 dwelling units must dedicate 10% as affordable housing.

This incentive is five years of declining tax abatement.

The Residential Development Abatement aims to increase the housing stock available within the Residential Central and Residential Intensification Zones. Applicants must construct a residential building with a minimum of 4 dwelling units.

Developments that are constructed with a minimum of 20 dwelling units must dedicate 10% as affordable housing.

This incentive is five years of full tax abatement if applied to the Residential Central Zones, and five years of declining tax abatement if applied to the Residential Intensification Zones.

The Secondary Dwelling Grant is available for the construction of new secondary dwelling units within an existing single-family home or as part of a new single-family home development. If the development is located on trucked sewer and water services, applicants must demonstrate the site’s ability to service the new secondary dwelling unit.

This grant covers up to 50% of costs, with a maximum of $20,000, for each dwelling unit constructed.

The Affordable Secondary Dwelling Grant is an additional grant of $10,000 available to owners of a secondary dwelling created with the Secondary Dwelling Grant.

Rent charged for the secondary dwelling must be equal to or less than the previous years reported affordable rental housing rate, reported by CMHC, for a minimum of 10 years. An agreement with the City is required and is to be registered on title at the N.W.T. Lands Titles Office.

Affordable Rental Housing, means housing where the total monthly shelter cost (gross monthly rent, inclusive of utilities for heat, hydro, hot water and water) is at or below 30% of the before-tax monthly income of renter households in the City of Yellowknife, as follows:

Affordable Home Ownership means housing where the purchase price (which for new units is inclusive of Government Sales Tax (GST) payable by the purchaser) is at or below an amount where the total monthly shelter cost (mortgage principal and interest – based on a 25-year amortization, 10 per cent down payment and the mortgage rate for a conventional 5- year mortgage as reported by the Bank of Canada in January of the applicable year, and a mortgage insurance premium – plus property taxes calculated on a monthly basis based on the purchase price, and standard condominium fees, if applicable) is affordable, based on paying no more than 30% of before-tax monthly income, to all households in the City of Yellowknife as follows:

The Affordable Non-Profit Grant is available to non-profit organizations developing affordable housing. This grant provides:

• Up to $50,000 for pre-development activities like architectural or geotechnical services
• A rebate of all Development Permit application fees for the development

An agreement with the City is required to ensure the affordability of the units for at least 20 years.

Affordable Rental Housing, means housing where the total monthly shelter cost (gross monthly rent, inclusive of utilities for heat, hydro, hot water and water) is at or below 30% of the before-tax monthly income of renter households in the City of Yellowknife, as follows:

Affordable Home Ownership means housing where the purchase price (which for new units is inclusive of Government Sales Tax (GST) payable by the purchaser) is at or below an amount where the total monthly shelter cost (mortgage principal and interest – based on a 25-year amortization, 10 per cent down payment and the mortgage rate for a conventional 5- year mortgage as reported by the Bank of Canada in January of the applicable year, and a mortgage insurance premium – plus property taxes calculated on a monthly basis based on the purchase price, and standard condominium fees, if applicable) is affordable, based on paying no more than 30% of before-tax monthly income, to all households in the City of Yellowknife as follows:

The Universal Dwelling Grant is for new residential developments where dwelling units are built with barrier-free access to the building and at least 4 accessibility features.

The grant covers up to 50% of the cost of accessibility upgrades, with a maximum of $15,000.

Accessibility Features (for the complete list please refer to section 4.4.4 of Development Incentives By-law No. 5097):

• Access to the dwelling with ramps, elevators or lifts
• Automatic or push-button doors at multi-unit dwelling entrances
• Accessible parking or drop-off location
• Accessible bathrooms
• Countertops, cabinets, light switches, and other appliances with accessibility features
• Accessible laundry washing facilities

The Missing Middle Price Grant reduces the purchase price of City land by up to 25% when the buyer agrees to develop townhouses or multi-unit dwellings with a minimum of 5 dwelling units. This grant applies to properties in the Residential Central and Residential Intensification Zones.

Developments must meet the Missing Middle Housing criteria by being low-rise or mid-rise buildings that fit the character of their neighbourhood.

Missing Middle Conversion Grant

The Missing Middle Conversion Grant covers up to 50% of architecture, engineering, design, and labour costs, with a maximum of $25,000, for converting a single-family home into three or more dwelling units.

Developments must meet the Missing Middle Housing criteria by being low-rise or mid-rise buildings that fit the character of their neighbourhood.

Intensification Servicing Grant

The Intensification Servicing Grant helps upgrade municipal sewer and water connections for a secondary dwelling being constructed within the primary residence or in a separate structure on the same property.

This grant covers up to 50% of the cost of service upgrades, with a maximum of $25,000.

Ventilation Systems Grant

The Ventilation Systems Grant helps integrate filtration systems into new residential, secondary, and affordable dwellings to reduce health risks from wildfire smoke and other airborne contaminants. The grant covers up to 75% of the cost for:

• Filtration in residential settings, up to $1,000
• An individual filtration system in the main living area, up to $2,000
• A centralized ventilation system for multiple units, up to $10,000

Development Permit and Building Permit Fee Grant

This grant is for new residential developments that have gotten approval of any of the previous incentives. Non-residential developments will not qualify for this grant.

100% of the Development Permit application fees will be reimbursed, and 100% of the Building Permit application fee will be reimbursed up to a maximum of $10,000.