Last week, the provincial government announced applications were now being accepted for the new Saskatchewan Secondary Suite Incentive Grant Program. Announced in the throne speech, the program was introduced as a way for homeowners to generate extra income while also increasing the availability of rental units. 

The program, which provides 35 percent of the total price to construct a new secondary suite at a primary residence, does come with several guidelines and qualifications. The suite must be a separate unit, such as a basement suite or garage suite, and must meet all national, provincial, and municipal bylaws, codes and standards. 

We reached out to the City of Weyburn to find out what the requirements are for a secondary suite in Weyburn. 

The first step would be a development application to the city's planning department, to make sure the property is eligible for a secondary suite If approved, the application then would need to obtain a building permit, which includes architectural design plans, and making sure the suite would be in compliance with the National Building Code. 

Once all of those steps are taken care of, including the issuing of the building permit, work can then start, with the city conducting inspections throughout the process to ensure everything is in compliance. Once the work is done, and any issues are taken care of, the city could then issue an occupancy certificate, which would be required to qualify for the incentive. 

The Secondary Suite Incentive Grant Program allows for up to $35,000 of the cost of the construction of the secondary suite to be recovered.