Hail storms don’t come as a surprise to the residents of Alberta anymore. There is a reason why it is called the Hail Valley of Canada. Nevertheless, the increasing frequency and severity of these storms have definitely affected the lifestyle of Alberta residents.

Keeping this in mind the City of Calgary started the Resilient Roofing Rebate as a way to support homeowners affected by the devastating NE Calgary hail storm of 2020.

It is no surprise that the City of Calgary committee received an unwavering response to the rebate. However, this resulted in a faster than expected depletion of the fund. Hence, earlier this year, Calgary’s City Council approved an additional $3.25M into the rebate fund. The program also opened up to any homeowner planning for a roof replacement or having completed a roof replacement with Class 4 resilient roofing.

Despite the additional funding, Calgary’s City Council has recently made public that the rebate program has now exhausted its funds to help cover some costs of replacing roofs. Till now, rebates have been given to 1,073 homeowners largely in those areas of the city that were hit hard by hail storms in the recent years.

Significance Of The Rebate Program

The rebate program has been a saviour for many in times when the integrity of their homes were affected by brutal storms. The program was also helpful as a way to incentivize the development community and promote awareness about the kind of building materials that they use.

Talking on the matter, to the Calgary Herald, Rodney Gabrielson, co-owner of AKRoN Roofing , said that the rebate program has proved to be a huge benefit for families who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to upgrade to Class 4 materials.

He detailed, “Every time there’s another storm we have to tear all this asphalt off and fill our dumps, and we try to recycle what we can but even recyclers are full and can’t take any more asphalt. We are replacing asphalt roofs with asphalt roofs just to watch them get damaged by hail again. It’s a fool’s errand.”

He further explained that the program has been an immense benefit for single parents, seniors and newcomers. This is especially true since the industry experienced five material price increases last year and another two this year, the rebate program has helped with the cost to upgrade.

In addition to this, Kris Dietrich from building services said, “The program has accomplished its goals of educating Calgarians on the benefit of resilient roofing materials, and supporting them [the public] in building more resilience in the city against environmental risks.”

Will The Program Be Renewed?

According to Dietrich 1,574 additional applications have been received that current funding can not cover. The program has grown immensely popular amongst the residents of Calgary.

However, despite this, the future of the hail-resistant roof rebate program is yet to be determined. The committee has not decided what is to be done about the pending applications. However, with almost 1500 applications pending, the committee is trying to make a decision as soon as possible.

We will keep you updated with news about the rebate program. So keep visiting our website for more information.

Before the council vote on Tuesday, whether you’re for the rebate or not, contact your City Councillor with your feedback!

Find your councillor here:

https://www.calgary.ca/citycouncil/councillors-and-wards.html

About AKRoN Roofing

Initiated with the intention of improving the reputation of roofing services in Calgary by providing boutique-style and individualised roofing services, AKRoN Roofing stands out from the crowd as the leading roofer in the city. Learn more About AKRoN Roofing to get the roof that you love. Contact us now!