Côte-Nord Tourism — EPRTNT 2025-2026 – Digital development

• Completed and signed application form submitted in Excel format.
• Complete business plan for the project.
• Financial statements for the last two years (except for start-ups, municipal entities and Indigenous communities).
• Three-year projected financial statements, or project revenues/expenses and operating commitment resolution for municipal entities and Indigenous communities.
• Board resolution authorizing the signatory and relevant documents, OQLF attestation if applicable, confirmations of funding partners, proof of adventure tourism accreditation if applicable, and Indigenous status certificate where relevant.

• Applicant must be a tourism business, municipal entity, Indigenous community or nation, or a grouping of these.
• Organization must be legally incorporated under Quebec or Canada laws and operate in Quebec.
• Tourist accommodation operators must comply with applicable laws and hold a valid registration number.
• Nature and adventure tourism businesses must meet, or commit to meet, Aventure Écotourisme Québec Quality-Safety standards.
• Eligible organizations must have respected commitments linked to any previous grant under this agreement.

Who is eligible?

• For-profit tourism businesses.
• Non-profit tourism organizations.
• Tourism co-operatives.
• Municipal entities involved in tourism.
• Indigenous communities, nations, and Indigenous tourism organizations or businesses.

Who is not eligible

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

Eligible expenses

• Professional fees for support and implementation of approved digital solutions.
• Purchase of technological or other equipment required to use the solution, including hardware, software, mobile applications, ERP and e-commerce software.
• First subscription (up to 24 months) to cloud services for the chosen solution.
• Travel, overhead, salaries and benefits specifically related to implementing the approved project.
• Professional fees for training or upskilling staff responsible for the digital project, and net taxes related to eligible costs.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Promoter’s regular salaries, operating, management, administration and usual maintenance costs.
• Purchase or rental of land, buildings, facilities and capital expenditures for equipment, including server rooms and technological infrastructures.
• Bandwidth, recurring operating costs of the solution, sales commissions on online platforms, financing costs and lobbyist remuneration.
• Working capital, debt service, operating losses, capital losses, capital buybacks, compliance and asset maintenance costs, and recoverable portions of sales and goods and services taxes.
• Asset transfers, in-kind or service contributions, costs incurred under contracts signed before application (except project development fees), promotion/marketing expenses, cost overruns and legal fees.

Eligible geographic areas

• Companies and organizations doing business in Quebec, specifically in the Côte-Nord region.

• Alignment of the project with the objectives of EPRTNT 25-27.
• Structuring effect, including attractiveness, scope, spin-offs, partnerships, job creation and season extension.
• Level of innovation and overall quality of concept, products and services.
• Sound financial structure, relevance to target tourism markets and competitiveness, including marketing and networking.
• Project feasibility, including timeline, business plan quality, proponent expertise and integration of sustainable development principles.

• Step 1: Download Program Documents
  • Access the EPRTNT Digital Development explanatory document, application form and self-assessment from the Tourisme Côte-Nord website.
• Step 2: Complete Self-Assessment
  • Fill out the EPRTNT Digital Development self-assessment form to validate project fit with the program.
• Step 3: Prepare Application Form
  • Complete the EPRTNT 25-27 Côte-Nord Digital Development financial assistance application form in Excel format and have it signed.
• Step 4: Compile Required Documents
  • Gather all required supporting documents listed in the program guidelines (business plan, financial statements, resolutions, attestations, confirmations, etc.).
• Step 5: Submit by Email
  • Send the completed self-assessment, application form and all required documents by email to direction.dev@cotenordqc.com by the stated submission deadlines.

• Projects must align with regional priorities such as adventure, nature, cultural, Indigenous, 4-season, winter tourism and accommodation.
• Previous commitments to partners under earlier funding from this agreement must have been respected to be eligible again.
• Projects will be assessed on how they incorporate sustainable development principles.
• Organizations with 25 or more employees in Québec must provide OQLF proof of compliance with francization requirements.