FedNor — Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI)

Who is eligible?

• Incorporated small and medium-sized enterprises located and operating in Northern Ontario.
• Indigenous (First Nation/Métis/Inuit) businesses that meet the program parameters for incorporated SMEs.

Who is not eligible

• Companies operating in the retail sector.
• Companies operating in the tourism sector.

Eligible expenses

• Incremental labour costs, such as wages and benefits, and material costs directly related to the project.
• Capital costs for the purchase of machinery, equipment, and infrastructure.
• Consultancy fees for professional and technical services.
• Advisory expenses, including planning, business information, counselling, coaching, mentoring, networking events, workshops, conference fees, and business training through a business service organization.
• Costs related to expanding or maintaining markets.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Costs that are not reasonable and/or not directly related to eligible project activities, including costs for which the applicant has entered into a legal commitment or incurred expenses prior to the eligibility date.
• Regular maintenance and ongoing operating costs, as well as regularly scheduled capital expenditures and asset replacement.
• Refinancing of an existing debt, and costs of amortization and goodwill.
• Acquisition of land and buildings, entertainment expenses, and lobbying activities.
• Basic research and the purchase of any asset for more than its fair market value.

Eligible geographic areas

• Northern Ontario

• Capability to enter into a legally binding agreement, and managerial, technical, and operational capacity to achieve the project's objectives in a timely manner.
• Degree to which the company and/or sector are impacted by tariffs, and degree to which the project supports new or expanded initiatives for the company.
• Degree to which the project helps the company boost productivity, catalyze growth, and/or diversify markets.
• Quality of the project plan and budget, including project readiness, ability to repay if applicable, and degree of risk and mitigation measures.
• Accrual of project benefits to Northern Ontario, financial capacity to complete the project, expected results, and quality of Intellectual Property strategies for IP-intensive projects.

• Review the Initial Application guide for the Regional Tariff Response Initiative.
• Contact a FedNor officer to discuss your project before submitting an application.
• Submit the two-phase application through the FedNor self-service portal.
• Complete the portal sections for organization, profile, contact, eligibility attestation, project, costs and funding, and attachments.
• Review the application, complete the certification checkboxes, and select Submit.

• All applications will be assessed as they are received.
• The review includes the business case and financial projections, and the identification of any issues that may impact the project's success.
• Completing an application does not guarantee funding approval.
• Approval depends on funding availability.
• If the application is successfully submitted, the portal provides a Confirmation page and an Application number.

• Applicants are encouraged to consider Canadian materials and content where such materials and content are competitive and available.
• Information on equity-deserving groups is voluntary, confidential, and is not used to assess or score applications.
• Information provided to FedNor is treated in accordance with the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.