FUNDING IS EXTREMELY LIMITED

The Canadian Environmental Employability Pathways will contribute 100% up to $15,000 towards the wages of an intern for 12 weeks. Intern positions must be environment-related and lead to the new hire gaining skills to obtain/maintain/succeed in employment. Priority will be given to applicants hiring indigenous, women, visible minorities, those living with a disability or residing in an official language minority community (OLMC) and populations. There is limited funding so apply now!

Only Sixteen Business Days Before Application Deadline

Ontario’s Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness Stream Program advertises 15% up to $5 million in interest-free loans and $1.5 million in grants (i.e. non-repayable/forgivable)  towards investments that create jobs and lead to economic growth/expansion/global competitiveness. Eligible expenses include new equipment/technology, consulting services, facility retrofits and expansions, as well as employee training and other project-related costs. Eligible businesses must be or planning to operate in Ontario and have 10 or more employees as well as 3 years audited or reviewed financial statements. Projects need to be 3 to 4 years in duration, with $500,000 or more eligible expenses, create and/or upskill a minimum of 5 jobs, plus occur in the advanced manufacturing sector i.e., automotive, aerospace, life sciences (including cannabis and food processing), information and communications technology, steel and chemical manufacturing.

Businesses in a municipality with populations under 100,000 or per square kilometre population density of 100 or under can request 15% up to $500,000 in grant funding. Conversely, business in higher populated areas (e.g., Toronto and Hamilton), can apply for interest-free loans of 15% up to $5 million with $500,000 of the loan being forgivable (i.e., a grant) if the applicant meets promised job and investment targets. 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.

Typically, more than 50% of the program’s contribution is paid near or at the end of the project (e.g., year 3 or 4). Applicants must begin to repay awarded loans once the project is completed, at which time the government charges approximately 5% annually (i.e., provincial cost of borrowing plus 3%) on unpaid balances. Successful applicants are not allowed to secure other provincial funding for their project while receiving program support.

Only costs incurred after the application deadline are eligible for support. The application deadline is February 10, 2022.

Funding to Hire Youth

Canada Summer Jobs is advertising non-repayable (grant) funding for businesses with less than 50 employees, as well as not-for-profit (including religion-operates daycare) and public sector organizations to hire new employees 15-30 years of age. The subsidy is 50% for businesses and 100% for non-profits of the provincial minimum wage (e.g., $14.35/hr. in Ontario). Employment must be for a minimum 30 hrs./wk. to a maximum of 40 hrs./wk. extending 6 to 23 weeks. Positions can begin April 25, 2022 or end not later than September 3, 2022. Eligible employees (i.e., Youth) are Canadian citizens or protected refugees (as defined under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act), between the ages of 15 and 30. Requests for funding will be evaluated on the position(s):

• Provision of quality work experience including a commitment of planned supervision and a strong possibility of continued employment.
• Opportunity for skills development. For example, having a trainee mentoring plan plus a training plan covering transferrable skills such as client services, communication, teamwork, digital skills, leadership, etc.
• Respond to national priorities, e.g., hiring visible minorities, LGBTQ2 youth, Indigenous persons, new immigrant/refugees or a person with a disability, women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, youth who have not completed high school or are applying for their first job, members of, and supporting the vitality of, an official-language minority community and those in rural and remote communities. Another national priority is for offering positions that protest and conserve the environment.
• Support local priorities and constituencies.

Businesses can receive incentives for more than one employee so long as they do not exceed the maximum funding amount of $300,000. Additional support is available for indigenous and disabled youth.  Deadline to apply is January 25, 2022: however, program funding is usually committed sooner.  

Funding for Conveyer Systems, Mixers, Freezers, etc.

The Meat Processors Capacity Improvement Initiative is offering 60% non-repayable funding to a maximum of $150,000 to Ontario provincially and federally licensed meat processors towards increasing productivity and efficiency. Support is for new and/or refurbished equipment plus related expenses (e.g., minor building retrofits) made between November 12, 2021, and March 21, 2022. Eligible activities and expenses consist of:

• Increased cooler/freezer capacity including:
  • Reefer trailers
  • Condenser units
  • Seals on cooler/ freezer doors
  • Air flow upgrades in coolers/ freezers (e.g., fans)
• Waste management handling/processing, including:
  • Equipment and structures to handle, store and dispose of deadstock and processing by-products (e.g., blood and wastewater holding tanks)
  • Equipment and structures to handle, store and dispose of SRM (e.g. chilled and frozen storage, SRM screen system for whole plant)
  • In-vessel composting, treatment and disposal (e.g., hides, feathers, deadstock)
• Animal handling/processing, including:
  • Barn/holding pen upgrades (e.g., chute design, increase size/capacity)
  • Animal restraints/knock boxes/upgrades (e.g., non-slip floor, upright restraints)
  • Kill floor/evisceration room equipment (e.g., Stunning equipment, hoists, bleed rail, saws, pneumatic skinning knife, hide pullers, leg cutters)
• Product Handling/processing, including:
  • Conveyer/rail systems, winches, hydraulics, skinning beds/cradles, automated tote washer, scales, vacuum packaging, mixers

Engineering/professional services as well as training and labour costs associated with the acquisition of eligible equipment are also supported by the program.

Activities and expenses that do not directly increase productivity/efficiency, including the purchase of ERP software and solutions, are not eligible. Nor will the program support mobile and/or leased equipment.

Applications will be accepted starting November 19, 2021. Funding is extremely limited. It is, therefore, important to apply as soon as possible.

Support for ERP Systems

The Ontario Automotive Modernization Program (O-AMP) offers 50% grant funding up to $150,000 to Ontario-based automotive parts manufacturers for:

• technology adoption– implementing advanced manufacturing hardware, software and/or training to improve processes and competitiveness including ERP systems, production tracking systems and advanced hardware implementation.
• tools and technologies to support new product development– adoption of technologies to assist with the engineering and design of new products, such as Computer-Aided Design & Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software, Design for Manufacturing (DFM) tools, rapid-prototyping tools or other tools to support the New Product Introduction (NPI) process
• lean manufacturing– improving operational efficiency and competitiveness by adopting lean manufacturing techniques and hiring the services of a mentor/consultant to help with lean implementation

Supported project-related costs include:

• Hardware/software installation and setup
• Salaries and benefits
• Sub-contractor and consultant fees
• Training and materials
• Travel

Eligible companies are Ontario-based automotive suppliers with up to 500 employees and annual revenues of $1 billion or less. Applicants must have a minimum of 2 years consecutive financial statements and attribute at least 50% of sales to the automotive sector. Applications open November 15^th and will be first come first served.