RCM de la Mitis — FLI/FLS

• Be a legally constituted for-profit company (Quebec or Canada) or a collective enterprise (cooperative or non-profit organization) with commercial activities.
• Have its head office in Quebec, be registered with the Quebec Enterprise Register (REQ) and carry out activities in the territory of the La Mitis MRC.
• Present a project demonstrating economic viability (profitability, repayment capacity, good prospects) aimed at the development of the business and jobs in the territory.
• The promoter must demonstrate relevant knowledge/experience in the field as well as management skills (or be supported by internal/external resources as needed).
• Submit a complete application (form, business plan or project description, breakdown of expenses, financial setup and confirmations of funding, required financial statements and forecasts).

Who is eligible?

• For-profit companies legally incorporated (Quebec or Canada).
• Collective businesses: cooperatives.
• Social economy enterprises (NPOs with commercial activities) as defined by the Social Economy Act.
• Proximity service enterprises.
• Enterprises aimed at succession (transfer/resumption) and territorial economic diversification (development of value chains).

Who is not eligible

• Companies registered in the Register of non-admissible companies for public contracts (RENA), including the subcontractors indicated in the project who are registered there.
• Private companies in the financial sector and financial cooperatives.
• State-owned companies and companies controlled (directly or indirectly) by a government, or majority-owned by a state-owned company.
• Companies under the protection of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act or the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act.
• Companies operating (in whole or in part, except with prior waiver) in excluded sectors: armaments, fossil fuels (except low-carbon transition activities), gambling and betting, violent games/combat sports involving live animals, sexual exploitation, property management and development (except projects related to tenant/resident services), tobacco and drugs (with specific restrictions for cannabis/industrial hemp).

Eligible expenses

• Need for additional working capital, strictly necessary for the project execution (for a maximum period of 2 years).
• Capital expenditures directly related to the project: acquisition of technology, land, buildings, equipment, machinery, and rolling stock.
• Works directly related to the project: construction, extension, renovation, and development of land and premises.
• Professional fees prior to the project (e.g., feasibility analysis, external audit, impact study).
• Professional fees directly related to the execution of the project (e.g., implementation of technology, equipment, or machinery; acquisition, construction, renovation, and development of land and premises).
• For an entrepreneurial succession project: acquisition of shares/parts (ownership titles) and/or assets of the target company.
• For an entrepreneurial succession project: professional fees directly related to the transaction, acquisition, and transfer of management of the company.

Eligible geographic areas

• Territory of the MRC of La Mitis (Quebec).
• Quebec (head office in Quebec).

• Economic viability of the project (profitability, repayment capacity, and outlook).
• Skills of the promoters (knowledge/experience in the field and management abilities, or access to support resources in case of weaknesses).
• Environmental and societal impacts, particularly the adoption of sustainable business practices contributing to the socio-economic and environmental balance of the territory.
• Openness towards workers and approach to labor relations.
• Involvement of other financial partners, including the engagement of a financial institution and the promoters' own investment.

• The MRC de La Mitis offers multiple funds to financially support projects aimed at economic development and job creation within its territory.
• Under a delegation agreement, Mitis en Affaires acts as the MRC’s representative for local economic development and is responsible for applying the MRC’s general investment and financial assistance policy.
• Investment and financial assistance documentation is available, including an “enterprise investment and financial assistance policy” and a “resource allocation and intervention plan.”
• Monthly investment lists are published by year; for 2020, only COVID-19 emergency assistance was granted.