Agriculture & Agri-Food, Bulletins, Career Focus, Food Processing, Hiring, Hiring Incentive, Manufacturing
Funding to Hire Youth
Funding is Running Out Apply Now
Canada’s Career Starter program provides “bio-economy” employers with 50% funding of a youth’s salary to a maximum of $20,000 in wage subsidies for a three to nine-month job placement. The program goal is to help the employer adopt a diverse and inclusive work culture while satisfying their need for skilled labour.
Eligible youth must be 15-30 years, a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or immigrants plus can legally and able to work fulltime in Canada. Additionally, the youth must be facing one or more barriers to employment including but not limited to:
- not in education, employment or training for at least six months
- Disability
- Indigenous
- A recent immigrant and/or refugee
- A visible minority
- LGBTQ2 +
- Homeless or at risk of becoming homeless
- Living in a low-income household
- Residing in a rural or remote location
- Living with family care responsibilities
- Affected by substance use
- Currently in, coming out of, or who have been involved in the justice system
- In or aging out of care
- Living with low levels of literacy and numeracy
The definition of bio-economy employees includes farmers, processors, pulp and paper manufacturers, the forest sector, bio-based health products, cannabis, bio-energy producers, pet food makers, IT/health software developers, etc. In addition, to a 6-to-9-month placement, employers must provide hired youth with a minimum of 2.5 hours/month of job coaching.
The program also offers internal job coaching such as skills training and onboarding tools for employers, including a diversity and inclusion HR policy template; and on-going monitoring to ensure program success.
Funding is extremely limited so apply quickly.
Bulletins, Food Processing, Manufacturing
Up to $500,000 Grant for Rural Southwestern Ontario Processors
Applicants Should Submit Eligibility Checklist By April 7, 2022
The Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SWODF) advertises 15% up to $5 million in grants and four-year interest-free loans towards investments that create jobs and lead to economic growth. Up to 30% of the loan is forgivable (i.e., becomes a grant) to a maximum of $500,000 if the applicant achieves its job creation and investment targets.
Eligible expenditures include equipment, consulting services, facility retrofits and expansions, as well as employee training and other project-related costs incurred over 3 to 4 years. Only expenses incurred after receiving approval will be eligible for reimbursement.
Businesses are required to have 3 years of financial statements and be (or plan to be) located in one of the following Southwestern Ontario counties: (Brant, Bruce, Chatham-Kent, Dufferin, Elgin, Essex, Grey, Haldimand, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Norfolk, Oxford, Perth, Simcoe, Waterloo, and Wellington). Applicants in rural communities with populations under 100,000 or density less than 100 people/square mile, must have at least 5 employees yet can receive up to $500,000 of the funding as a grant. Rural businesses are required to make investments of no less than $200,000. Applicants in communities with populations over 100,000 may receive 15% up to $5 million as an interest-free loan. These businesses must have 10 or more employees and plan to invest at least $500,000.
Strategic new investments to Ontario (companies without a presence in Ontario), or companies whose investment plans (including new mandates, expansion, or re-shoring/relocation) are subject to significant risk due to incentives offered from other jurisdictions, are eligible to receive 15% up to $1.5 million as a grant.
Businesses with 15 or more employees must create 5 jobs by project completion. Companies with fewer employees are required to increase their workforce by 30%. Only costs incurred after approval are eligible for funding. There is also 50% grants funding up to $1.5 million for community economic development. Next application deadline is April 21, 2022 (eligibility checklist to be submitted by April 7, 2022)
Agriculture & Agri-Food, Food Processing
Up To $2 million in Grant Funding for Commercializing Clean Processing Technologies
Funding to Pilot Energy Efficient Equipment
Canada’s Agricultural Clean Technology Program: Research and Innovation Stream will contribute 50% up to $2 million towards the research, development, demonstration and commercialization of transformative clean technologies or enabling expansion of current technologies in 3 priority areas:
- Green energy and energy efficiency including better management of energy intensive processes and technologies.
- Precision agriculture including management strategies that gather, process, and analyze data; and decision support tools and technologies that improve real time input use and nutrient management.
- Bioeconomy including technologies using agricultural waste and by-products for energy and bio-product generation.
Eligible activities are:
- Applied research and development of clean technologies*
- Piloting and evaluating clean technologies*
- Demonstration and knowledge and technology transfer activities*
- Commercializing and scaling up clean technologies **
- Other activities that support the Research and Innovation Stream as determined by the program
*Program funding for applied research, development, piloting and demonstration activities is non-repayable (i.e., a grant).
** Funding for commercialization and scale-up is a loan repayable over 10 years, 1 year after project completion.
Whereas the maximum program contribution is 50%, businesses that are 50% + owned by women, youth 35 years old or under, indigenous groups, visible minorities or persons with disabilities may receive up to 60% in support.
Eligible costs include equipment purchases, consulting, project administration (to a maximum of 10% of total project costs) and project-related salaries and wages.
Minimum applicant investment is $50,000 over 5 years (i.e., to 2026). This program is available to Canadian food processors as well as farmers. Total program budget is $100 million over 5 years.
Agriculture & Agri-Food, Career Connect, Career Focus, Digital Media, Energy, Food Processing, Hiring, Hiring Incentive, Natural Resources
FUNDING TO HIRE RECENT GRADUATES NOW AVAILABLE
Employment Subsidy for Food Processing, Forestry and Other Bio-Economic Sectors
The Science Horizon Internship Program is advertising 80% up to $25,000 in grant funding to hire post-secondary graduates for internships in clean technology related jobs.
“Clean technology” includes any process, good, or service that reduces environmental impacts through:
- Activities which prevent, reduce or eliminate pollution or any other degradation of the environment
- Resource management activities resulting in more efficient use of natural resources, thus safeguarding against their depletion; or
- The use of goods that have been adapted to be significantly less energy or resource intensive than the industry standard
The program also offers up to $5,000 towards skills development, training costs, and/or other employment needs.
Subsidized interns must 30 years old or younger, have graduated from a recognized post-secondary program and currently unemployed or under employed. Interns must also be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or have been granted refugee status. Internships are to be full-time positions (i.e., 35 hours per week) and 6-12 months in duration.
Agriculture & Agri-Food, Apparel, Food Processing, Hiring, Hiring Incentive
Grant to Hire Summer Students in Rural Ontario
BUSINESS FUNDING NOW AVAILABLE FOR STUDENT EMPLOYMENT
The Rural Summer Jobs Service program will contribute $2.00 per hour for a maximum of 560 hours to hire students ages 15-30 during the period of April 1 and September 30, 2015. Applicants must be an Ontario business or community group located in an area with a population of 100,000 or less. The maximum number of students that can be subsidized under this program varies with the quantity of applicants, and employer location. Please note that applicants cannot receive additional funding from other government programs to subsidize the same student.
Agriculture & Agri-Food, Food Processing
Ontario Grant For Rural Business Expansion
The Rural Economic Development (RED) program will contribute 50% towards the planning and implementation of initiatives that will retain or create employment/economic growth in communities with populations of 100,000 or less. Funding is available for creating/undertaking: strategies, research, studies, plans or analysis related to but not limited to economic development, business retention and development, marketing, downtown revitalization, employment creation and training, as well as global competitiveness. Support can also be requested for implementation of initiatives related to yet not exclusive of:
- Business/sector development and diversification. Business fairs, mentoring, training, diversification, supply chains and best practices sharing, rehabilitation of cultural, heritage or tourist attractions, etc.
- Regional marketing, promotional and/or branding activities. Website development, branding strategies, marketing, etc.
- Human capital and skills development, attraction and retention. Youth, newcomer and labour attraction/retention, programs for leadership development, entrepreneurship, mentorship, as well as industry and sector training, etc.
Eligible costs include consulting and professional fees (e.g. legal, architectural, engineering) as well as minor capital purchases (e.g. renovations, retrofitting, software), administration, and travel expenses. RED does not support capital items such as land, buildings, major infrastructure and equipment. Although there is no limit to the support that can be requested, awarded funding will be determined by the amount of stakeholder financial investment, identified/resulting economic and employment benefits to rural Ontario, as well as, the demand for the program’s $12.5 million three-year budget. For a limited number of exemplary initiatives, RED may contribute up to 90%. The program is currently under review and is not accepting applications, however, they are expected to be accepting applications soon.
