INVEST North Program — Regional Tile Drainage

The INVEST North Program — Regional Tile Drainage offers a structured financing approach to promote agricultural development through tile drainage installation. The funding is conditional and supports consortiums of producers in Northern Ontario.

• Funding is provided as a conditional contribution covering 50% of tile drainage contractor costs up to $500 per acre.
• 100% of project management/administration fees of the service provider are covered, calculated as 10% of contractor costs, up to $100 per acre.
• The maximum investment by NOHFC will not exceed the lesser of 50% or $1 million towards eligible project costs.
• The financial contribution requires individual producers to provide at least 10% in cash towards their specific contractor costs.
• Repayment obligations may be triggered if a farmer ceases operations or sells the tiled land within five years following project completion.

The eligibility criteria for the Grow - Regional Tile Drainage grant require specific characteristics of the applicant organizations.

• The applicant must be a not-for-profit, agricultural, or community organization.
• The organization must apply on behalf of an identified consortium of producers.
• The consortium must aim to develop and administer a tile drainage installation project within a specific region.

Who is eligible?

Who is not eligible

Only not-for-profit, agricultural, or community organizations acting as consortium service providers with identified producers are eligible for this grant. This excludes certain types of entities based on their status and main activities.

• For-profit businesses and corporations.
• Individual farmers not part of an identified consortium.
• Organizations not involved in agriculture or community services related to farming.
• Entities without a legal not-for-profit status.
• Organizations unable to manage or administer a consortium service project.

Eligible expenses

The grant is designed to enhance agricultural productivity in Northern Ontario by financing tile drainage projects. Eligible activities funded under this grant mainly pertain to the installation and management of tile drainage systems.

• Tile drainage contractor costs, including materials and labour.
• Project management and administrative fees for service providers.

Eligible geographic areas

The INVEST North Program — Regional Tile Drainage aims to enhance agricultural productivity by focusing on specific regions in Northern Ontario. Eligible geographical areas are based on the program's objective to support regional development in Northern Ontario.

• Organizations operating within Northern Ontario.

The evaluation and selection of projects for this grant are based on specific criteria with allocated point scores to ensure alignment with the grant’s objectives.

• Feasibility and readiness of the project, ensuring that projects can be "shovel ready" and completed within two years.
• Inclusion of identified farmers within the consortium, who meet all outlined eligibility requirements.
• Ability to provide detailed GPS mapping and necessary documentation such as maps of tiled areas and the design's compliance with the Drainage Guide for Ontario.
• Alignment with the technical standards and approval facilitated by OMAFRA, including a mandatory technical review.
• Capability to ensure that each participating farmer’s financial contributions meet the stipulated 10% minimum of contractor costs.

Here are additional relevant details for this grant:

• Projects should be shovel-ready and must be completed within two years of approval.
• Project funding will be adjusted if a farmer drops out of the consortium after application submission.
• Each farmer in the consortium must be identified at the application stage.
• A farmer must meet specific regulatory and contractual requirements to be included in a consortium.
• If a farmer stops farming or sells the tiled land within five years, they may need to repay the conditional contribution.