Bas-Saint-Laurent Tourism — EPRTNT 2025-2027 – Accommodations

• Completed and signed application form submitted in Excel format.
• Complete business plan for the project, including required permits and authorizations.
• Financial statements for the last two years and most recent interim statements, where required.
• Three-year financial forecasts following project completion, where required.
• Board or council resolution authorizing the signatory, plus any required OQLF, arts integration, accreditation or Indigenous status attestations.

• Applicant is a tourism business or organization such as a for‑profit company, non‑profit, cooperative, municipal entity, Indigenous community or a grouping of these.
• Organization is legally constituted under Quebec or Canadian law and conducts business in Quebec.
• Tourist accommodation operators comply with applicable laws and hold a valid registration number.
• Nature and adventure tourism businesses comply with, or commit to comply with, Aventure Écotourisme Québec’s Qualité‑Sécurité accreditation standards.
• Project meets minimum scale requirements for units or sites (tourist residences, hotel units, camping or ready‑to‑camp) in the accommodation category.

Who is eligible?

• Tourism businesses operating accommodation or related tourism services.
• For‑profit tourism organizations.
• Non‑profit tourism organizations.
• Tourism cooperatives.
• Municipal entities, Indigenous communities and groupings of these tourism clienteles.

Who is not eligible

• Crown corporations, and ministries or agencies of the governments of Quebec and Canada.
• Organizations listed in the Register of enterprises ineligible for public contracts.
• Businesses not compliant with the Office québécois de la langue française francization process.

Eligible expenses

• Construction, reconstruction, expansion, layout, adaptation, reconversion and replacement of infrastructures or equipment, including deployment of new tourist experiences.
• Construction and equipment costs that improve attractiveness and support workforce retention, such as employee housing, when not the majority of project costs.
• Professional, technical and consulting fees for design, engineering, project management, supervision, reporting and preliminary studies or business and eco‑responsible development plans (within two years before application).
• Costs related to land and trail development and enhancement, specialized equipment and furniture, acquisition of boats and rolling stock that enhance the visitor experience, and acquisition of land, easements and rights of way needed for the project.
• Costs for integrating sustainable practices or climate adaptation measures, site surveying and quality control, eligible net taxes, contingencies up to 15% of eligible costs, and integration of artworks under the provincial arts integration policy.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Acquisition costs for a business, its infrastructure and animals.
• Promotion and marketing expenses, including website redesign.
• Equipment and materials for administrative, storage or retail purposes, as well as motorized transport equipment not dedicated to the visitor experience.
• Working capital, debt service, operating or capital losses, capital buybacks, cost overruns and financing fees.
• Maintenance, compliance, asset upkeep, operating or administration expenses, recoverable taxes, asset transfers, in-kind contributions, commitments entered into prior to submission (except studies), legal fees and lobbyist remuneration.

Eligible geographic areas

• Companies carrying out tourism accommodation projects in the Bas‑Saint‑Laurent region of Quebec.

• Alignment with EPRTNT objectives and regional tourism priorities.
• Structuring impact, including attractiveness, regional benefits, partnerships, job creation and season extension.
• Degree of innovation and quality of concepts, products and services.
• Strength of financial structure and project relevance in relation to market, clientele and competitive context.
• Project feasibility and integration of sustainable development principles.

• Step 1: Validate Eligibility
  • Use the self‑assessment questionnaire to verify organization and project eligibility for the Accommodation category.
  • Confirm compliance with minimum cost thresholds, sectoral exclusions and funding limits.
• Step 2: Prepare Application Dossier
  • Complete the official EPRTNT BSL – Accommodation application form in Excel format.
  • Draft a full business plan and compile all required financial statements, forecasts, resolutions and attestations.
  • Obtain any necessary confirmations, such as arts integration, OQLF compliance, accreditations and partner funding letters.
• Step 3: Submit Application
  • Sign the completed form and attach all required documents.
  • Email the full application package to programmes@bassaintlaurent.ca before the call deadline.
• Step 4: Post‑Approval Formalities
  • If approved, confirm the complete financing package within six months of the announcement letter.
  • Sign the financial assistance agreement to activate funding and enable disbursements.

• Tourisme Bas‑Saint‑Laurent verifies project eligibility and may request clarifications from the promoter.
• Projects are analyzed and evaluated, then a management committee issues a recommendation.
• The promoter receives a letter either announcing the approved amount or refusing the project.
• For approved projects, a financial assistance agreement is signed before payments are made.
• Applicants should expect a response at least two months after the call deadline, with longer delays possible for larger requests.

• Only one project submission per operating site is allowed in the Accommodation category for the 2025-2027 agreement period.
• Projects must integrate sustainable development measures with positive environmental, social and economic impacts.
• An incomplete file at the call deadline will not be analyzed and will be deferred to a later intake.
• Applicants must comply with public tender rules for construction contracts of $100,000 or more.