1. What is the Drywall Support Program?

1.1 Overview

Drywall costs were higher in Western and Northern Canada between September 6, 2016 and February 24, 2017 due to anti-dumping duties imposed on drywall imported from the United States. On February 27, 2017, the Government of Canada announced that anti-dumping duties would be reduced and approximately $12 million of anti-dumping duties collected would support a program to distribute funding back to those most affected by the higher costs.

1.2 A One-Time Grant Payment

A one-time payment is available to provide partial relief for higher than anticipated drywall costs for:

Homeowners in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, including Fort McMurray, who are rebuilding homes severely damaged* or destroyed by the May 2016 wildfire.

*Severe damage: physical harm to the home as a result of the May 2016 wildfires that caused the home to be uninhabitable after the evacuation order was lifted.

1.3 How Much Funding is Available?

A one-time payment will be provided as follows:

Homeowners will receive a fixed amount of $335.

Homeowners who owned more than one home affected by the May 2016 wildfire can submit a separate application for each unique address.

WD reserves the right to make the final determination on the value of payments, and to not approve applications deemed to be ineligible or to have included false or misleading information.

Who Can Apply?

2.1 Eligible Applicants

To be eligible to apply for a one-time payment, you must:

1. Have owned a home located in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo that was severely damaged or destroyed by the May 2016 wildfire; and
2. Intend to rebuild a home within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

Please note:

• The application must be submitted by an individual who was a registered homeowner (as per land title) at the time of the wildfire. Businesses are not eligible for a payment.
• Rebuilding outside the RM of Wood Buffalo, does not qualify for a payment.
• Renters are not eligible for a payment.

3. How Do I Apply?

3.1 When do I Need to Apply? (May 1 - June 13, 2017)

The Drywall Support Program will be open for applications at 12:00 p.m. (noon) Mountain Daylight time on Monday, May 1, 2017 and close Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at the following local times:

No applications will be accepted outside the application period.

3.2 How do I Apply Online?

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online.

The application is posted on WD’s website.

An online application can be saved and submitted later, allowing you to complete it in more than one session. Applicants are encouraged to review the requirements well in advance of the deadline.

Please see below for detailed instructions on how to complete and submit an online application.

Please note that submitting an application does not constitute a commitment from WD. There is no guarantee an application will result in a payment.

4. How do I Start, Save and Submit an Application?

Save a draft application as soon as you can - To do so, the following fields on the application form need to be completed so WD can find the saved application if you require technical support.

• Questions 1 – 4, and 6: Primary contact information

Save frequently – This will help prevent you from losing data that you have inputted in the event there is an Internet interruption or your session is timed out.

Accessing your saved application form – Once you have successfully saved your application, an email will be sent to the email address of the Primary Contact noted on the form. If the Primary Contact is not the person completing the application, he/she will need to forward this email to the individual who is. You can only access your saved application with the information (weblink) included in that email, so it is critical that you save the email. Do not bookmark the application in your internet browser.  Always open the saved form using the link in the email.

When you receive that “saved application” email from WD, please do the following:

• Click on the Application Retrieval Link included in the “saved” email.
• You will require a GCKey to open your saved application.
  • A GCKey is a unique username and password that allows access to, and protects your communication with, online Government of Canada programs and services.
  • Detailed instructions on using a GCKey are available.
• If you do not already have a GCKey, you can register for one when opening your saved application for the first time.
  • Step 1. Select the “Continue to GCKey” button (this will be the second option on your screen).
  • Step 2. Select the “Sign Up” button on the right-hand side of the GCKey login page.
  • Step 3. Follow the instructions on your screens to create a username and password.
• Once you have registered for a GCKey, select the “Continue to GCKey” button and input your username/password.
  • WD recommends that you create a new (separate) GCKey for each individual application you submit to Western Economic Diversification.  Creating a unique GCKey for each application allows you to share the GCKey with others who may need to view or work on the application. In the event another individual must gain access to the saved application, sharing the GCKey is at your organization’s risk and discretion. As such, we do not recommend using the Sign-in Partner method using financial institutional partners; however, this option is available for those who prefer it.

It is important to note the following:

• You must save the link contained in the email you receive from WD after saving your application for the first time to retrieve a saved draft of your application. You will not receive another email when saving your work in the future.
• Once you have accessed the saved application form with your GCKey, only that GCKey will be able to access the form. Therefore it is important that you do not lose your GCKey username and password.
• In the event another individual must gain access to the saved application, sharing the GCKey is at your own risk and discretion.
• It is important to remember your GCKey username as it cannot be retrieved if lost. In the event your GCKey username is lost, a new application will have to be started.
• If you experience technical difficulties related to accessing your saved application form, please contact WD at 1-888-338-9378 or by email: wd.ab-ab.deo@canada.ca.

Additional Tips:

• Logout when you are finished working with the form, for the day.
• If you are using two separate GCKeys for any reason, you may need to clear your computer browsing history when logging out from one saved form and logging into another.

Submitting your application form:

• Save a final version of your application using the “Save” button at the top of the application form. Please ensure you have attached all required additional documentation.
• Once you submit your application, you can no longer re-open the form. Be sure to either print a copy or convert it to PDF and save before you submit.
• Select the “Validate/Submit” button at the top of the application form to formally submit your online application to WD.
• Once the validation of your application is complete you will have to select a second “Submit” button.
• A "saved" application that is not formally submitted will not be considered for funding.
• The Primary Contact will receive a confirmation email upon successful submission. If you do not receive this confirmation email within 24 hours of submitting it, please check your email spam folder, as it might have been classified as spam by your email server. If you still don’t have a confirmation email, please contact WD at 1-888-338-9378 or by email: wd.ab-ab.deo@canada.ca.

5. Application Form – Detailed Instructions

To ensure accessibility for all potential applicants, HTML and PDF versions (which cannot be completed electronically) of the application form are available, but will require applicants to print, complete, sign and submit in hardcopy. All hardcopy applications and supporting documentation must be postmarked on or before June 13, 2017. If you have any questions or concerns related to the accessibility of information or materials about the Drywall Support Program in a format that meets your needs, please contact WD at 1-888-338-9378 or by email: wd.ab-ab.deo@canada.ca.

It is important to note that all correspondence regarding the application will be sent to the Primary Contact’s email. WD may also contact other persons or companies noted in your application, to verify information provided.

If you attempt to submit an online application with missing information in the mandatory fields you will receive an error message indicating which questions are incomplete. These questions must be completed in order to successfully submit an application. Remember that a ‘Saved’ application is not a ‘Submitted’ application.

Enter the required information in the space provided. An asterisk (*) indicates a required field.

5.1 Instructions

Primary Contact Information

The Primary Contact is the person WD will contact for any follow-up to this application. Please ensure that the email address and phone number(s) are correct, and that the Primary Contact is available for follow-up in June – July, 2017.

Note: When a draft form is saved for the first time, an email will be sent to the Primary Contact. This email is only sent the first time the application form is saved, and contains instructions on how to retrieve the saved form.

1. Salutation: Indicate the appropriate salutation (e.g., Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., etc.).

2. First name: Provide the first name.

3. Last name: Provide the family name.

4. Telephone: Provide a phone number where the primary contact person can be reached. Use the following format xxx-xxx-xxxx.

5. Cell: Provide a cell number where the primary contact person can be reached. Use the following format xxx-xxx-xxxx.

6. Email address: Provide a valid e-mail address. All correspondence regarding this application will go to this email address, including the email you will receive upon saving your application form for the first time.

Severely Damaged or Destroyed Home Information

7. Street address line 1: The organization’s legal mailing address.

8. Street address line 2: Additional space to provide the legal mailing address.

9. City: The city/town portion of the address for the severely damaged or destroyed home.

10. Province/Territory: This will default to “Alberta”.

11. Postal Code: The postal code portion of the address for the severely damaged or destroyed home.

12. Country: This will default to "Canada".

Homeowner Information – 1

13. Salutation: Indicate the appropriate salutation (e.g., Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., etc.).

14. First name: Provide the first name.

15. Last name: Provide the family name.

16. Telephone: Provide a phone number. Use the following format xxx-xxx-xxxx.

17. Cell: Provide a cell number. Use the following format xxx-xxx-xxxx.

18. Email address: Provide a valid e-mail address.

Homeowner Information – 2 , if applicable

19. Salutation: Indicate the appropriate salutation (e.g., Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., etc.).

20. First name: Provide the first name.

21. Last name: Provide the family name.

22. Telephone: Provide a phone number. Use the following format xxx-xxx-xxxx.

23. Cell: Provide a cell number. Use the following format xxx-xxx-xxxx.

24. Email address: Provide a valid e-mail address.

Name and Mailing Address for Cheque Payee

25. Name(s) of Payee (as per registered homeowners on land title): Provide the name(s) of all homeowner(s) on the land title. If approved, cheques will be made out to the registered homeowner(s).

26. Mailing Address: (Including suite, unit, apt #): The mailing address a cheque will be mailed to, if approved.

27. Mailing Address line 2: Additional space to provide the mailing address.

28. City: The city/town portion of the mailing address.

29. Province/Territory: The province/territory portion of the mailing address.

30. Postal Code: The postal code portion of the mailing address.

31. Country: The country portion of the mailing address.

Homeowner Acknowledgement Section

This section must be completed by the / one of the registered homeowner(s) identified earlier in the form.

32. Acknowledgement completed by (select one): check the appropriate box to indicate who is completing the Homeowner Acknowledgement section.

33. Salutation: This field will fill automatically based on the selection in question 32.

34. First name: This field will fill automatically based on the selection in question 32.

35. Last name: This field will fill automatically based on the selection in question 32.

36. Declaration of Homeownership: Check the appropriate box (i.e., yes or no) indicating that you are a legal, registered owner of the home.

37. Declaration of Severely Damaged or Destroyed Home: Check the appropriate box (i.e., yes or no) indicating that your home was severely damaged or destroyed in the May 2016 wildfires.

38. Declaration of Intention to Rebuild in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo: Check the appropriate box (i.e., yes or no). Please note, rebuilding outside the RM of Wood Buffalo, does not qualify for a payment.

IMPORTANT: After reading and understanding the acknowledgement section, please check the box to indicate you acknowledge and agree with the terms.

39. Signature: If you are using the online application form, you do not need to provide a signature, as it is applied automatically when you submit the application. If you are using another format (i.e. PDF or HTML) for accessibility reasons, you will need to print and sign the document.

40. Date: If you are using the online application, you do not need to enter a date, as it will fill automatically. If you are using another format for accessibility reasons, you will need to enter the date.

Please see “Submitting your application form” in Section 4 of this guide, for instructions on how to submit the completed application form.

6. Questions?

Please contact Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) by phone or email, at:

Phone: 780-495-4164
Toll Free: 1-888-338-WEST (9378) or
Email: wd.ab-ab.deo@canada.ca