Cantons-de-l'Est Tourism — EPRTNT 2025-2027 – Structuring the tourism offering

• Completed and signed EPRTNT financial assistance application form in Excel format.
• Complete business or project plan, including required authorizations and permits where applicable.
• Most recent financial statements for the last two years, or projected financial statements when required.
• Board or council resolution authorizing the signatory and the funding application.
• OQLF attestation or certificate of francization compliance, where required.

• Be a legally constituted tourism-related organization under Quebec or Canadian law and conduct business in Quebec.
• Belong to an eligible category such as for-profit or non-profit tourism enterprise, cooperative, municipal entity, Indigenous community or nation, regional tourism association, or a consortium of these.
• Be compliant with previous funding commitments made with program partners, if any.
• For tourism accommodation operators, comply with applicable laws and regulations and hold a valid registration number.
• For nature and adventure tourism companies, meet or commit to meeting Qualité-Sécurité Adventure Écotourisme Québec standards where required.

Who is eligible?

• For-profit tourism enterprises (OBL).
• Non-profit tourism organizations (OBNL) and cooperatives.
• Municipal entities and regional municipal bodies.
• Indigenous communities, nations and Indigenous tourism enterprises.
• Regional tourism associations and groupings of the above organizations.

Who is not eligible

• State-owned corporations and ministries or agencies of the governments of Quebec and Canada.
• Applicants listed in the Register of enterprises ineligible for public contracts.
• Enterprises not compliant with the francization process of the Office québécois de la langue française.

Eligible expenses

• Construction, expansion, reconstruction, adaptation, redevelopment or replacement of tourism infrastructures and equipment, including terrain development and specialized equipment or furniture.
• Professional fees for studies, engineering, design, consulting, project management, digital solutions implementation, training and advisory services.
• Purchase and installation of technological and digital equipment, software, applications, cloud subscriptions and integrated management or e-commerce systems.
• Direct project-related costs such as eligible staff time, travel within public-service rates, site management, programming, marketing and communication for supported festivals and events.
• Eligible taxes (net of recoverable amounts), contingencies up to program limits, land acquisition and rights-of-way when required for the project, and audited in-kind sponsorships for events.

Eligible geographic areas

• Tourism enterprises and organizations doing business in Quebec, specifically within the Cantons-de-l’Est (Eastern Townships) region.

• Alignment with EPRTNT 2025-2027 objectives in terms of innovation, sustainable development, transformation and digitalization.
• Structuring impact on the destination, including attractiveness, tangible regional benefits, partnerships, reach, seasonality and productivity.
• Strategic relevance regarding key and promising tourism products, market size, competition, positioning and marketing strategy.
• Quality of strategic management and feasibility, including governance, business processes, human and financial resources, promoter expertise, schedule and overall quality of the application.

• Step 1: Complete pre-admissibility form
  • Fill out the online EPRTNT financial assistance pre-admissibility form.
  • Provide required information so Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est can validate main eligibility elements.
• Step 2: Receive application form
  • After validation, obtain by email the EPRTNT financial assistance application form adapted to your project category.
• Step 3: Prepare full application
  • Complete the Excel application form with project and financial details.
  • Gather all required supporting documents listed in the relevant category fact sheet.
• Step 4: Submit application by email
  • Send the completed Excel form and all mandatory documents by email to eprtnt@atrce.com before the call deadline.

• Applications submitted during a call for projects are analyzed over several months by Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est and program partners.
• Applicants receive an official support or refusal letter after the analysis period, with example timelines indicating decisions announced several months after the call closes.
• Where applicable, applicants must provide outstanding authorizations and confirmations within six months in order to sign the financial assistance agreement.
• Supported projects must adhere to reporting and compliance requirements specified in the signed funding agreement.

• The program generally launches two calls for projects per year, typically in late October and in March, with specific deadlines announced in advance.
• Projects may start at the applicant’s risk upon submission and must be completed within 24 months following the funding announcement.
• Incomplete applications are automatically rejected to ensure fairness and efficiency.
• For certain construction projects, compliance with Quebec’s Policy for the Integration of Arts into Architecture may be required.