City of St. Thomas

It is a one-time subsidy that offers financial assistance to residential homeowners who have experienced high water charges due to a catastrophic event.

In order to qualify the homeowner's water/sewer bill charges must be three (3) times above the 12-month average water usage and the application must be submitted before the next water/sewer bill is issued to the homeowner. 

The applicant must be the named registered account holder for the water/sewer billing, collected through the City's water billing provider and their account must be in good standing. 

There must be no other outstanding debts to the City and the applicant must meet all other conditions as set out in the application process.

The applicant must reside in a residential zoned property

Please note that the program does not allow for retroactive payments from past events occurring before the program was requested by Council and By-Law 125-2019 came into effect.

Disqualifications include:

• A previous subsidy was issued for the municipal residential address
• The home was vacant or the premises were unattended for more than 48 hours when the plumbing failure occurred.
• The water/sewer usage was due to damage (i.e. broken pipe due to construction) or neglect (i.e. failing to keep temperature inside the home at acceptable level), or intentional usage (i.e. filling of outdoor pool)

The homeowner shall submit the application form online to the City for approval prior to credit being issued to their account by the City’s water billing provider.

Once the application is approved, a credit will be issued to their account by the City's water billing provider.  This would be reflected on the next billing cycle, if paperwork is submitted promptly and without errors or omissions. 

For more information on how to prevent water loss and damage in your home, click on this link to access our brochure