North Bay, ON – March 24, 2021 – The City of North Bay is introducing a property tax hardship program to assist residents who may be impacted as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
The application-based program is moving forward following Council’s authorization Tuesday of an agreement with Low Income People Involvement of Nipissing (LIPI) for its delivery and administration.
“This program is aimed at providing financial assistance to help ease the burden on individuals and families who are facing financial challenges due to the pandemic,” said Deputy Mayor Tanya Vrebosch. “We are working to support property owners by offering assistance to those who need it most.”
The program, which is expected to start accepting applications by April 15, will provide payment assistance to eligible residential property owners whose primary residence is in tax arrears due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will be funded using $300,000 in City reserves earmarked by Council during the 2021 budget process and will have no impact on 2021 tax levy.
Applications will be accepted online, while in-person services will be dependent on Covid-19 restrictions. The program will require qualified applicants to meet the following criteria:
Impact defined as:
Lockdown Periods defined as:
“LIPI welcomes the opportunity to assist North Bay households with property tax arrears. The past year has been challenging for everyone. While we are all excited about vaccines and moving forward, many of us are facing deferred bills and debt,” said LIPI Executive Director Lana Mitchell. “Please contact us at 705-472-1337 or on line at lipinipissing.com with any questions or concerns.”