Subsidies

If you are experiencing, or suspect a problem with your sanitary or storm services, you may contact the Town for assistance identifying the cause.  The Town will schedule an appointment with a crew to camera inspect your connection(s). This service is provided one-time free of charge to Lakeshore residents. Call 519-728-2488 for the Engineering department and our Clerical Staff will assist you.

Please note: any repair costs to pipes on your property, including any exploratory digging required to determine the cause, will be paid by the home owner.

The home’s sanitary drain should be equipped with a functioning backwater valve in the event your private sanitary connection or the Town’s sanitary sewer system is temporarily surcharged. The backwater valve connects to the sanitary sewer line in your home and protects you from sanitary waste flooding your basement. 

Backflow Preventors must be installed by a licensed plumber to be eligible for this subsidy. The amount of subsidy is 80% of the cost to a maximum of $750. Other requirements can be obtained from the information package and application. Please contact the Town of Lakeshore's Building Department at 519-728-2818 or email subsidies@lakeshore.ca for more information. This video shows the benefits of installing a backwater valve and a general idea of how it is installed.

It is also important that backwater valves are regularly inspected and maintained to ensure good working order.  This video is a brief tutorial on how to easily inspect your sanitary backwater valve.

Installation of Sump Pump Overflow

A home is designed to carry rainwater and groundwater into the sump pit. If the sump pump does not have a discharge pipe discharging to an outside landscaped area, the water is being directed into the Town's sewer system. This extra water can lead to the Town's sewer system becoming surcharged and increase the risk of basement flooding. Installing a sump pump with an overflow to the outside landscaped area reduces the amount of water entering the sewer, reducing the risk of basement flooding to you and your neighbours.

A sump pump overflow (check valve) releases the water in the sump pit onto the lawn or some area away from the building in the event that the private stormwater service is blocked or backing up. The overflow must be installed by a licensed plumber. The subsidy is up to a maximum of $225. Other requirements can be obtained from the information package and application. Please contact the Town of Lakeshore's Building Department at 519-728-2818 or email subsidies@lakeshore.ca for more information. This video shows how a sump pump works and the layout of a sump pump overflow.

Disconnecting your downspouts is an important measure that every Town property owner should undertake. Disconnecting your downspouts redirects rainwater from your roof onto the grassed around surrounding your home, rather than to your sump pump. It also provides more capacity to both the private connections and municipal sewers to help protect you and your neighbours from basement flooding. Downspout disconnections are subsidized up to $75. Please contact the Town of Lakeshore's Building Department at 519-728-2818 or email subsidies@lakeshore.ca for more information, or review the information package and application. This video shows how downspouts are disconnected.