Provincial Disaster Assistance Program | SPSA
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Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP)

The Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) helps residents, small businesses, agricultural operations, First Nations, non-profit organizations and communities recover from natural disasters, including flooding, tornadoes, plow winds and other disasters caused by severe weather. PDAP may help cover the cost of uninsurable essential losses, cleanup, repairs and temporary relocation.

Overland Flood Insurance: Saskatchewan insurance providers recently started to offer policies that protect homeowners from overland flooding. The Government of Saskatchewan advises all property owners to obtain adequate coverage for their property. To learn more, read this Overland Flood Insurance fact sheet or contact your insurance company.

1. Guidance

PDAP may cover damage or loss to uninsurable, essential property. Your community must be approved for PDAP assistance before you can apply.

What to do when disaster strikes

Be safe

  • Read the Flood Clean Up Guide.
  • Make sure your property is free of hazards, such as wet electrical equipment, and that it is safe to begin cleaning.
  • Remove water from your home and clean wet material as soon as possible to prevent mould problems.
  • Any repairs or cleanup that can be safely postponed should wait until an adjuster can inspect the site. Remove the affected contents of your home and store them in a safe, dry area.

Check your coverage

  • Contact your private insurance provider to see if any damages may be covered.
  • Contact your municipality, First Nation band office or PDAP for a PDAP application.<

Keep detailed records

Keep detailed written and photographic records. You will need to clearly show and/or provide evidence of your damages and expenses to an adjuster.

  • What happened?

    Write down a description of the situation, including:
    • When and where the water entered your home;
    • How high the water was; and
    • How long the water sat before it was removed.
  • Take pictures
    • Take photos of all damage and record the date and location of each photo.
    • Take photos of any emergency building materials used and keep samples of it.
  • Record all work and hours
    • Keep a log of all work done to protect your home, including:
      • hours worked;
      • who performed the work; and,
      • what work was completed.
    • Record equipment usage costs and hours for items such as fans, dehumidifiers, shop vacs and sump pumps.
    • If the disaster is ongoing, be sure to record any emergency repairs and measures you take to prevent further losses.

Decide whether to do the cleanup and repairs yourself or to hire a contractor

  • Doing the work yourself
    • Cleanup work – PDAP pays 100% of the provincial hourly minimum wage (as determined at April 1 of the year of the disaster) to claimants performing their own clean up. This is subject to the maximum hours as specified allowed for this activity in the PDAP General Claim Guidelines.
    • Repair and restoration work – PDAP pays 140% of the provincial minimum wage (as determined at April 1 of the year of the disaster) to claimants performing their own repairs.
  • Hiring a contractor
    • PDAP requires estimates from contractors in advance, and pays only rates within Saskatchewan standards.
    • PDAP only pays according to the adjuster allowance. The rates for contractors must fall within Saskatchewan standards.

Read the Current PDAP General Claim Guidelines to learn more about eligible claims.

2. Eligibility

To be eligible for assistance, your local authority (city, town, village, resort village, provincial or regional park, rural municipality or First Nation) must apply to be approved. If your community is not listed, contact them directly and inform them of your losses. They will need to apply to PDAP before you can submit your claim.

Eligible communities for 2023

  • Rural Municipalities
    • Excelsior (Apr. 8-13)
    • Happy Valley (Apr. 19-21)
    • Hart Butte (Apr. 19-20)
    • Kingsley (Apr. 19-20)
    • Lac Pelletier (Apr. 7-14)
    • Laurier (Apr. 19 -21)
    • Lawtonia (Apr. 10-23)
    • Hillsborough (Apr. 18-21)
    • Willow Bunch (Apr. 18-20)
    • Elcapo (Apr. 19-21)
    • Waverly (Apr. 19-21)
    • Shamrock (Apr. 13)
    • Gap (Apr. 19-20)
    • Chester (Apr. 19-21)
    • Baildon (Apr. 18-21)
    • Viscount (Apr. 18-21)
    • Weyburn (Apr. 19-20)
  • Cities, Towns and Villages
    • City of Swift Current (Apr. 11-21)
    • Village of Webb (Apr. 2-11)

  • Regional and Provincial Parks

Residents, including homeowners, renters and residents living on First Nations

  • The damaged property must be your primary place of residence. Seasonal cottages are not covered.
  • Eligible items may include such things as beds, essential furnishings, essential clothing, furnace, water heater, fridge, stove, computer and television.
  • Residents are eligible to receive compensation for damages up to a maximum of $240,000.

Small businesses (including agricultural operations)

  • To be eligible for coverage, your business must make more than $4,000 and less than $2 million in gross income annually.
  • The business must employ no more than the equivalent of 20 full-time employees.
  • Eligible items may include stock and supplies, essential work clothing and other necessities.
  • Small businesses are eligible to receive compensation for damages up to a maximum of $500,000.
  • Eligible items for agricultural operations may include damaged fencing, bales and field erosion.

Non-profit organizations

To be eligible, the non-profit organization must be:

  • A registered charity within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada);
  • Incorporated or continued pursuant to an Act or Act of Parliament of Canada for the purpose of providing social, charitable or recreational services; or
  • An organization that provides a service or benefit to the community on a not-for-profit basis.

Provincial and regional parks

  • Regional park authorities may be eligible if the total loss or damage to property owned by or under the control of the park authority is equal to or greater than 0.1% of the most recent confirmed taxable assessment.
  • Any park authority other than a regional park may be eligible if the total loss or damage is equal to or greater than 0.1% of the gross revenues of the park authority in the fiscal year before the disaster occurred.

Limitations

  • PDAP is not a substitute for private insurance.
  • PDAP does not provide full compensation for losses.
  • PDAP provides assistance to return property to its pre-disaster condition only.
  • PDAP does not cover any insurable losses – including loss of production, loss of revenue or unseeded acres of agricultural land.
  • PDAP does not provide financial assistance for drought.
  • Fire-related losses are not covered, although in extreme cases the following assistance may be made for wildfires:
    • Dangerous tree removal; and
    • Pre-emptive measures to protect eligible property as the wildfire approaches, such as firebreaks, fireguards and sprinklers.

3. How to Apply

Once your community has been designated for PDAP assistance, pick up an application form from your city, town, village, resort village, First Nation, provincial or regional park, or rural municipality.

  • Apply within six (6) months. The sooner your application is received, the sooner you may receive assistance.
  • Include all required documentation. Please refer to the publication Required Documents for a list of documents for principal residence, agricultural operation and small business claims.

If you are applying for assistance in more than one of the following categories, you will need to submit an application for each:

  • Homeowners, tenants and residents living on First Nations
  • Agriculture operations
  • Small businesses
  • Non-profit organizations
  • Provincial and regional parks

If you need help with your application, read the documents below or call PDAP staff at 1-866-632-4033:

4. Apply

Documents needed

If you have private insurance, your insurer must provide a letter to PDAP explaining which of your damages are and are not covered by your policy.

Principal residence

In addition to your insurance denial letter and photos of all damages, you will need:

  • A copy of your driver's licence
  • Rental agreement for tenants

Agricultural operation

In addition to your insurance denial letter and photos of all damages, you will need:

  • A copy of your prior year's T1 General income tax return(s) submitted to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA); the return(s) must include any Statement of Farming Activities (T2042) schedules
  • If filing as a limited corporation – a copy of the prior year's T2 Corporate Tax Return(s) including Schedules 1 and 125. Unaudited Financial Statements are not sufficient
  • The CRA Notice of Assessment that corresponds with either the T1 or T2 tax return(s)
  • All T4 and/or T5 slips associated with the above T1 General Personal Tax Returns(s) or T2 Corporate Tax Return(s), if the agricultural operation had employees
  • T4 Summary, if the agricultural operation had employees

Small business

In addition to your insurance denial letter and photos of all damages, you will need:

  • A copy of your prior year's T1 General income tax return(s) submitted to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA); the return(s) must include any Statement of Business Activities schedules (T2125)
  • If filing as a corporation – a copy of your prior year's T2 Corporate Tax Returns(s) including Schedules 1 and 125. Unaudited Financial Statements are not sufficient
  • The CRA Notice of Assessment that corresponds with either the T1 or T2 return(s)
  • If claiming a rental property, a copy of your prior year's T1 General income tax return(s) submitted to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA); the return(s) must include any Statement of Real Estate Rentals (form T776) or, if filing as limited corporation – a copy of your prior year's T2 Corporate Tax Returns(s) including Schedules 1 and 125. Unaudited Financial Statements are not sufficient
  • A copy of the lease agreement if your business is located in a rental property
  • The CRA Notice of Assessment that corresponds with the either the T1 or T2 tax return(s)

Non-profit or charity claim

In addition to photos of all damages, you will need:

  • Tax return indicating gross income
  • Proof of charitable status documentation or registration information
  • A mission statement
  • Your insurance denial letter, which is addressed to the claimant on the insurer's letterhead (not the broker's), and includes the policy number, date of loss, the locations of the loss and a statement indicating that the claimant does not have coverage and that coverage was not available for purchase for damages as a result of the weather event

Take photos

Don't forget to take pictures of damages to your property. PDAP-assigned engineers and adjusters will need these photos throughout the application process.

Avoid delays

It is important to us that claimants receive eligible financial assistance as quickly as possible. Wherever possible, PDAP tries to avoid potential delays where coordination with private insurance companies might be involved. As part of the claim approval process, PDAP will require a coverage denial letter from your insurance company. However, we do not want this requirement to delay your application and processing of your claim.

Once your community has been designated for PDAP assistance, pick up an application form from your city, town, village, resort village, First Nation, provincial or regional park, or rural municipality.

Please complete your application form and submit it to PDAP as soon as possible, so that we can begin processing your claim while you continue to work with your insurance company. Once you are able to submit the required documentation, your claim can then be completed much more quickly and eligible payments provided to you.

5. Further Information

Once PDAP receives your application and determines that you are eligible for assistance, an adjuster will be assigned to your claim. The adjuster will arrange a time with you to complete a damage assessment of your property.

After the adjuster's report is submitted to PDAP, you will receive a letter with a Payment Worksheet describing eligible costs. In most cases, a single payment (also called a FastTrack Payment) based on this Payment Worksheet will be issued to you shortly thereafter.

Reimbursements for eligible structural repairs follow a different process. See Section 2.4.3 of the current PDAP General Claim Guidelines for more details.

6. Contact us

PDAP is available Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to help Saskatchewan residents through their disaster recovery.

Mail
P.O. Box 227
Regina SK S4P 2Z6

Phone or Fax
Toll Free: 1-866-632-4033
Phone: 306-787-7800
Fax: 306-798-2318

Email
pdapdocs@gov.sk.ca

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