Support for Ontario Processors and Producers for Market Development

Ontario’s Grow Ontario Market Initiative advertises 50% non-repayable (grant) funding up to $60,000 to provincial food producers and processors towards supporting third-party expenses for expanding domestic or export markets.

Activities funded by the program are:

1. market analysis and planning:
   • • market analysis, life cycle analysis and/or a marketing plan for a new product and/or a new or expanded existing market.
     • investigation of regulatory or certification standards, or requirements needed to access a new market (such as food product labels, preparation of nutritional panels and other required label information for domestic and international markets and trade issues)
2. new product development:
   • • regulatory review for new products
     • ingredient, material. or packaging sourcing
     • formulation development
     • scale-up trials
     • shelf-life determination
     • testing or analysis to verify and complement development process including:
       • nutritional, microbial, chemical, allergen or
       • sensory/consumer
     • package testing to ensure compatibility with product.
     • labelling development and design for marketing purposes
     • labelling development for a new product to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
3. marketing products:
   • • brand development
     • focus group and/or consumer studies.
     • product demonstrations
     • new promotional material development (such as advertisements, brochures, videos, website development/updates, social media posts, tradeshow booth/display development)
     • new product marketing campaigns for domestic and international markets
     • new sales, marketing and promotional activities or events (such as trade missions, tradeshows, buyer meetings/demonstrations)
     • product samples (not from normal production) for export-only market research, tradeshow, or specific events (such as pilot plant samples made specifically for marketing purposes) activities related to the domestic marketing and product development of Aquaculture as well as Fish and Seafood Processing

Applicants may submit a maximum of 2 applications/projects under the initiative at any given time. Only expenses incurred after receiving funding approval are eligible. Cannabis processors and producers are eligible but, as per program guidelines orange growers are ineligible.   Funding is limited applying early. 

Support for Health Related Nutrition 

Canada’s Innovation Booster program is advertising 50% grant funding up to $100,000 for business development and innovation projects focused on “Personalized Nutrition and Improving Human Health Through Food”.

Projects are expected to result in the discovery of new knowledge that aims to support the development of new technology-driven products, processes or services at early-stage TRLs (e.g., 1-4); and/or large-scale technology demonstration, including the advancement and development of new technologies into product-specific applications at TRLs 5-7. Projects undertaking higher TRLs (i.e., 8 and 9) may also be supported if part of the overall project.

Eligible expenses include, but not limited to project-related equipment purchases, subcontractor and consultant fees, materials costs, direct labour, plus building and land leasing, expansion or upgrades. Applicants must be a Canadian business with less than 500 employees and sales under $50 million.

Note that successful applicants must pay the organization administering the fund an upfront contingency fee of 5% against the entire project budget (so basically the funding is 40%). Next Intake begins May 29, 2023, with a deadline of June 26, 2023. 

Support to Hire Person 30 and Under

Canada’s Career Starter program provides “bio-economy” employers with 50% funding of a youth’s salary to a maximum of $15,000 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.

Support to Demonstrate New Solutions for Dealing with Labour Constraints

Canada’s Food Innovation Challenge is offering 50% grant funding up to $2 million to food and beverage members for collaborative, industry-led, development and innovation projects related to innovative disruptive solutions for:

• Labour constraints
• Shelf-life extensions
• Side stream valorization
• Energy input reduction or reuse
• Input utilization and cost-efficiencies
• New technologies for transforming food.

Funding is to support a broad range of R&D activities at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1 to 7. Projects are expected to result in the discovery of new knowledge that aims to support the development of new technology-driven products, processes, or services at early-stage TRLs (e.g., 1-4); and/or large-scale technology demonstration, including the advancement and development of new technologies into product-specific applications at TRLs 5-7. Projects undertaking higher TRLs (i.e., 8 and 9) may also be supported if part of the overall project.

Eligible expenses include but are not limited to project-related equipment purchases, subcontractor and consultant fees, materials costs, direct labour, property leasing, plus building expansion and/or upgrades.

Project partners must include one business with less the 500 employees and sales under $50 million, plus a minimum of two additional independent companies. All partners must provide financial and/or other resources to the project. Funding preference will be given to collaborations with numerous small to large business partners. Additionally, collaboration with not-for-profit groups, research centers and learning institutions is encouraged if these organizations are facilitating and undertaking private sector funded R&D.

Note that successful applicants must pay the organization administering the fund an upfront

contingency fee of 5% against the entire project budget.

Expressions of Interest will be accepted until Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Those subsequently invited to submit a full proposal will have until Monday, June 12, 2023, to do so.

 $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.

Canada-Wide Support for Identify and Purchase Fuel Efficient Technologies for Trucks 

Canada’s Green Freight Program Stream 1 is advertising 50% grants funding up to $250,000 annually per applicant towards Third-Party Fleet Energy Assessments and Truck/Trailer Equipment Retrofits for Class 2B, 3 to 8 heavy-duty vehicles  (only).

For “Basic Third-Party Energy Assessments”, to explore fleet retrofits and small-scale logistical best practice projects, program support is 50% up to $20,000. For “Enhanced Third-Party Energy Assessments”, to explore complex and large-scale engine repower, alternative fuel truck purchase and logistical best-practice projects, funding is 50% up to $40,000.

Funding for Truck/Trailer Equipment Retrofits are:

1. Aerodynamics Retrofit Devices:
   1. Side Skirt: installed on the underside of a trailer to reduce air flow and turbulence in front of the rear wheels. Funding is 50% up to $2,500/device.
   2. Boat Tail: to reduce drag from trailer back-end low-pressure wake. 50% max. $2,500/device.
   3. Under Fairing: installed under the trailer to channel air flow for reduced turbulence.50% max $2,000/device.
   4. Tractor-Trailer Gap Reduce: attached to the trailer front minimizing tractor-trailer gap and reducing air turbulence.50% max $1,000/device.
   5. Aerodynamic Splash Guard: reduces drag by redirecting or blocking less air compared to conventional splash guards. 50% max $80/device.
2. Anti-idling Retrofits Devices
   1. Cab Heater: provides heating, reducing the need for idling the primary engine to power onboard systems. 50% max. $2,000/device.
   2. Cab Cooler: provides cooling, reducing the need for idling the primary engine to power onboard systems. 50% max $3,000/device.
   3. Coolant Heater: mounted in the engine compartment and uses the truck’s integrated heat-transfer system to draw fuel from the fuel tank to heat the vehicle’s coolant, and pumps the heated coolant through the engine, radiator, and heater box. 50% max. $1,500/device.
   4. Auxiliary Power Units Retrofits
   5. Diesel/conventional APU: provides electricity, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning from a smaller diesel engine, instead of the main engine, burning less fuel providing the same services. 50 max. $10,000/unit.
   6. Electric APU: provides electricity and, in some cases, HVAC without burning any fuel during operation.50%max. $10,000/unit.
   7. Electric APU, paired with solar panels: provides electricity without burning fuel during operation supplementing other power sources. 50% max of $10,000/unit.
3. Tires Retrofits
   1. Low rolling resistant tires: whether in a dual or a wide-base configuration for fuel saving. 50% up to a max of $1,500/device.
   2. Automatic tire inflation system: monitors tire inflation pressure relative to a pre-set target and re-inflates tires whenever the detected pressure is below the target level. 50% max. $1,000/device.
   3. Tire pressure monitoring system: improves commercial motor vehicle safety and fuel economy by automatically measuring and indicating air pressure plus relaying tire air pressure information to operator. 50% max. $1,000/device.
4. Other Devices
   1. Diesel-electric refrigeration units (highbred): reduces demand from main diesel engine to cool contents of trailer. 50% max. $15,000/device.
   2. Electric refrigeration units: Electric refrigeration unit that eliminates demand from main diesel engine to cool contents of trailer. 50% max. $12,000/device.
   3. Telematics: for collecting real-time data using the mix of sensors, GPS technology, and onboard diagnostic codes.50% max. $700/device.

To be eligible for a Truck/Trailer Equipment Retrofit Grant, the Applicant’s fleet must have had a Fleet Energy Assessment done before purchasing any fuel-saving device(s). The Assessment should analyze and recommend the device(s) to be purchased. The Applicant can submit an internally conducted assessment or submit one created by a third-party made on or after January 1, 2019. The assessment must meet the criteria outlined in NRCan’s Fleet Energy Assessment Checklist.

Activities satisfying all program requirements as well as completed and paid in full on or after December 12, 2022, are eligible for funding. Self-assessments are not eligible for funding or are softwood lumber companies and those that are vertically integrated with softwood lumber companies.

 Applicants must have in their fleet one or more heavy-duty vehicles that is for business use, licensed, insured and has been in service for at least one year in Canada.