$10 Million Available to Ontario Food Processors Including Cannabis Manufacturers 

Ontario’s Agri-Food Energy Cost Savings Initiative  advertises 20% grant funding up to $300,000 towards investments in new technology, equipment, as well as building or facility modifications to reduce greenhouse gases. Applicants must be an Ontario processor as listed in NAICS costs found in the program application (e.g. cannabis).

Under the initiative, eligible activities include:

• equipment and technology purchases or modifications done by the original manufacturer that improve energy efficiency.
• water use equipment and technology purchases or modifications done by the original manufacturer that improves energy efficiency, e.g., Clean in Place systems that use cold instead of hot water, or equipment to recover and reuse waste heat from processing water.
• purchases of energy monitoring controls and equipment and technology
• building envelope energy efficiency improvements including renewable energy, lighting, ventilation, heating, refrigeration, water heating and cooling, etc.

Ineligible costs

• costs associated with the leasing of equipment, parts, components and/or technology including equipment financing where the bank purchases the equipment and leases it back to the applicant rather than providing a loan (as being done by the Royal Bank).
• costs incurred prior to receiving funding approval.
• costs of vehicles, transportation equipment, mobile material handling equipment (powered or unpowered), and construction and agriculture machinery (such as tractors, skid steers, combines, livestock trailers)
• costs of purchase and/or installation of ancillary equipment (such as valves, pipes, and fittings).
• third-party costs for planning, analysis, data collection, design, training, engineering including those directly related to the energy efficiency.

Projects will be evaluated based on the degree of:

• need or demonstrated alignment with an energy audit, assessment, or plan for energy efficiency.
• Improvement in energy efficiency
• lowering of operational costs

Deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. June 5, 2023.