The $300 rebate for home and business security equipment in the Manitoba budget will be retroactive to Sept. 1 and applications for it will launch in June, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe announced Monday.
The rebates will be delivered on a first-come, first-served basis, with the government budgeting $500,000 for the program — which means if everyone applies for the maximum, fewer than 1,700 people will get rebates.
It can be used for various security items, including cameras, alarms, motion detectors, reinforced doors or windows or anti-graffiti film, the province said.
Alarm system subscriptions or monthly fees aren’t eligible, a news release said.
Manitobans with multiple homes or businesses can only apply for a rebate for one location, but at that single location, multiple expenses up to $300 — for example, multiple cameras — can be rebated.
Wiebe made the announcement in the front yard of Anamika Deb, whose family bought a video doorbell for their front door after the back windshield of their car was broken at their home in Fort Richmond, a neighbourhood near the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.
“It left us shocked and made us anxious,” Deb said about the vandalism.
While the cost of repairs was claimed through Manitoba Public Insurance, it was the first time her family dealt with such a crime, and they decided to get the doorbell cam, which allows them to view what’s happening in front of their house from their phones.
“It’ll help to make our community safer,” Deb said.
After the provincial budget was released, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said in a news release that the rebate isn’t enough.
The CFIB recommended a higher amount, like B.C.’s program that gives small businesses up to $1,000 for preventative and up to $2,000 for reparative measures.