RDKB FireSmart rebate funding exhausted as 2027 program remains uncertain
A B.C. government FireSmart image promotes wildfire preparedness around homes and communities. The RDKB has exhausted its available 2026 residential rebate allocation, while funding for a 2027 rebate program has not been confirmed. Photo: Province of British Columbia
Residents hoping to submit a new application for help paying for wildfire mitigation work will have to wait for another funding round after the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary exhausted its available 2026 FireSmart residential rebate money.
The RDKB has closed its 2026 residential rebate intake after reaching the end of its funding allocation. Wildfire mitigation specialists are continuing to review work plans that were already submitted, and approved work can continue through the fall and winter.
Funding for a 2027 rebate program has not yet been confirmed, according to the regional district.
The RDKB says the province has not renewed the Community Resiliency Investment FireSmart Community Funding and Supports program beyond 2026. If new funding becomes available, some work completed during 2026 may be eligible, although new application forms would be required.
Applications that were not approved under the current allocation will not automatically carry forward to a future intake.
The uncertainty comes despite an additional $15 million for FireSmart announced by the province as part of Budget 2026.
That money was intended to replenish the existing FireSmart Community Funding and Supports program and help about 75 additional local governments and First Nations undertake wildfire resilience work, including training, equipment, bylaw changes and measures intended to make homes more resistant to wildfire.
However, the $15 million was directed toward the program’s 2026 winter and spring funding intake rather than establishing a new funding round for 2027.
UBCM, which administers the program, said earlier this year that demand was expected to exceed the money available.
The program had already shifted from an open application system to a competitive intake because available funding was running low. Applications for the 2026 winter and spring closed intake closed April 30, and UBCM currently says applications are not being accepted.
The local program has expanded significantly in recent years.
The RDKB announced in 2025 that it had received $1,185,962.21 through the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports program, its largest FireSmart grant to date and the fifth consecutive year it had received support through the program.
The regional district has since passed 1,000 FireSmart home assessments.
Since launching its residential rebate program in 2024, the RDKB says it has approved 107 rebates worth approximately $267,000 to homeowners. The rebates help residents complete work recommended during a FireSmart home assessment.
Under the 2026 program, eligible RDKB residents could receive between $500 and $5,000, covering half of eligible mitigation costs. Because rebates cover 50 per cent of eligible costs, a $5,000 rebate requires at least $10,000 in eligible expenses, subject to the program’s zone and activity limits.
FireSmart work can include removing combustible material near homes and making changes to buildings and surrounding properties intended to reduce the likelihood that wildfire embers or flames will ignite a structure.
Free RDKB FireSmart home assessments remain available even though the residential rebate intake has closed.
The regional district says it will provide an update if provincial funding becomes available for another rebate program in 2027.
A historic mine opening near Rossland’s Kootenay Columbia Trail will be permanently sealed, with a three-week trail closure beginning Sept. 28 so crews can complete the work.