Government Incentives

Ontario Canada is one of the most cost effective locations in North America for business.  Due to its low labour costs, no development charges on industrial developments, lower land costs, lower utility costs and lower property taxes the Bay of Quinte region is one of the best locations in Ontario for business.  In addition Quinte offers lower start up and operating costs but to make the region even more attractive to business, there are several incentive programs available.

Quinte's Integrated Workforce Development System

The Quinte region is a leader in human resource development for the manufacturing sector.  Quinte's available, educated and skilled manufacturing labour force is supported by a workforce development system.  This system links education, manufacturing, economic and business development agencies to ensure that Quinte keeps its labour force advantage and meets the changing labour requirements of the manufacturing sector. 

Quinte Service Canada

There are local Service Canada programs available in Quinte that will subsidize labour costs.

Invest in Ontario Website

For more information relating to business in Ontario, please visit www.investinontario.com
This website is full of valuable data including available Provincial and Federal government programs/incentives, community profiles, business immigration, available properties, facts on Ontario industry sectors and much more.    

Bay of Quinte offers a wide range of attractive, carefully designed business incentives. These include:

• Advanced Manufacturing Investment Strategy (AMIS) Program, The
  Description: Interest free loan to transform manufacturing processes and adopt leading edge technologies
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: $10 million interest free loan up to five years
   
• Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit - Canada
  Description: Federal tax credit to cover salaries and wages paid to training apprentices
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: $2,000 per year tax credit
   
• Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit (OATTC) - Ontario
  Description: Ontario refundable tax credit for training apprentices
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: $15,000 refundable tax credit for 3 years
   
• Brownfields Financial Tax Incentive Program (BFTIP)
  Description: Property tax assistance for environmental remediation
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Match municipal property tax assistance on a proportional basis
   
• Business Development Bank of Canada Services Overview
  Description: A complementary government lender to fill out or complete services available from commercial financial institutions.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Multiple financing solutions
   
• Canada Foundation for Innovation Funds
  Description: Funds R&D infrastructure costs in partnership with universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Up to 40% of project costs
   
• Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC)
  Description: International contracting agency provides export-related assistance and advice to SMEs
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Various business solutions offered
   
• Canada Summer Jobs
  Description: Initiative of the Summer Work Experience program.  Provides funding for to create work experiences for students between the ages of 15 and 30.
   
• Capital Leasing Pilot Project
  Description: Finance new and used equipment for business up to $250,000
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Administration fee 1.25% plus interest rate.
   
• CON*NECT
  Description: Links the training needs of business, industry and government with college training and education programs.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Human resources and training
   
• Co-Operative Education Tax Credit - Ontario
  Description: Tax credit for businesses hiring students enrolled in a recognized post-secondary co-operative education program
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: tax credit maximum $1,000 per student
   
• Co-Vision (BDC)
  Description: Commercial financing for new businesses fixed assets purchase, working capital and start-up expenses
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Up to $150,000
   
• Eastern Ontario Development Fund  - Ontario
  Description: The EODF is an $80-million provincial government initiative here to help by providing 15% of project expenses for new technologies, new equipment, or skills training for employees that will drive your competitiveness and help your company grow.
   
• Eastern Ontario Development Program - Federal
  Description:  The EODP is a $20-million Government of Canada initiative distributed between 15 Eastern Ontario Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDC'S) which promotes socio-economic development in rural Eastern Ontario, encourages a competitive and diversified regional economy, and contributes to the successful development of business and job opportunities and sustainable, self-reliant communities.
   
• ecoEnergy for Renewable Heat - Natural Resources Canada
  Description: Incentives will be offered to industrial/commercial/insititution entities to support the installation of solar space and water heating
   
• Electricity Retrofit Incentive Program (ERIP)
  Description: Offers commercial and industrial customers with an electricity demand of 50kW or more to particpate in electrical managements incentives.  Incentive levels start at $150 per kW saved.
   
• Employer Health Tax Exemption - Ontario
  Description: Eligible employers are exempt from paying EHT
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: First $400,000 of annual total remuneration.
   
• Export Development Canada
  Description: A crown corporation that offers financing, credit insurance and bonding solutions to Canadian exporters
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Various financing and risk management programs
   
• Federal Government Summer Career Placements
  Description: Contributions for employers to hire students during the summer.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Up to 50% of provincial minimum wage per hour
   
• Going Global Science and Technology (S&T) Program
  Description: Pays eligible expenses for Canadian researchers to meet with key R&D players in foreign countries
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Pays a minimum of $8,000 of eligible expenses
   
• Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP)
  Description: Technical advisory services, networking and financial assistance to SMEs.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Invests on a cost-shared basis
   
• Infrastructure Ontario - OSIFA Loan Program
  Description: Affordable financing for Ontario municipalities, universities and other broader public sector partners to build and renew critical public infrastructure.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: All borrowers have access to the same low interest rates.
   
• Innovation Demonstration Fund
  Description: Non-interest bearing repayable or forgivable loans; royalty agreements and equity participation to help commercialize innovative technologies
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Contributions up to $2 million
   
• Innovation Financing (BDC)
  Description: Financing to help innovative businesses to take advantage of new markets and new technologies
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Up to $250,000 financing
   
• Innovation Tax Credit (OITC) - Ontario
  Description: Refundable provincial tax credit on R&D expenditure claims.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Up to 10% refundable tax credit, maximum claims $200,000
   
• Institutes of Health Research - Innovation and Industry Programs - Canada
  Description: Major federal health research funding agency for universities, hospitals and research institutes has research prgrams matching industry partner's financial constributions.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits:  Co-funding on a project basis
   
• Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit - Ontario
  Description: Ontario refundable tax credit for labour, marketing and distribution expenditures for the creation of interactive digital media products.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits:  20% of eligible expenditures
   
• Job Connect - Ontario
  Description: Training subsidies for employers who train youths out of school, out of work, not currently in a training program
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Training subsidies are available
   
• Labour Market Partnerships - Ontario
  Description: Funding for employers, employer/employee associations, and community organizations to address labour market and human resource capacity issues
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Contributions vary with projects
   
• Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF) - Canada-Ontario
  Description: Financial assistance for Ontario's small urban centres and rural municipalities to improve their local infrastructure.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Ontario municipalities with less than 250,000 people
   
• New Exporters to Border States (NEBS)
  Description: A hands-on introduction course to the basics of exporting to the USA which includes visits to US Customs and a freight forwarder.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Course fee is $150
   
• New Technology Tax Incentive (ONTTI) - Ontario
  Description: A 100% immediate write-off of the eligible cost of qualifying intellectual properties acquired in the course of an intellectual property transfer.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: 100% write-off
   
• Next Generation of Jobs Fund - Biopharmaceutical Investment Program - Ministry of Research & Innovation
  Description: BIP is a $150 million five year discretionary, non-entitlement program to encourage brand name pharmaceutical firms and advanced-stage human health biotech firms to establish and grow their research and development in Ontario.
   
• Next Generation of Jobs Fund - Jobs & Innovation Program - Ministry of Economic Development & Trade
  Description: The program will help support companies involved in green auto reserach, parts production and assembly; clean fuels research, development and commercialization; manufacturing, processing environment technologies and more.
   
• Next Generation of Jobs Fund - Strategic Opportunities Program - Ministry of Research & Innovation
  Description: The SOP is one of three components of the Goverment of Ontario's $1.15 billion Next Generation of Jobs Fund strategy.  Supports industry - led public-private collaborations focused on increasing Ontario's innovation capacity in three key sectors.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: 100% write-off
   
• Ontario Centres of Excellence Inc.
  Description: 5 sector-based centres and various programs to strengthen research linkages between academia and industry.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Knowledge transfer, commercialization, training
   
• Ontario Community Futures Program
  Description: Repayable federal supported in locally administered funds for community economic development
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: $150,000 repayable financing
   
• Ontario Current Cost Adjustment (OCCA): Pollution Control Equipment
  Description: Ontario provides an additional 30% tax deduction, over and above the regular depreciation allowance, for investments in pollution control equipment.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: 30% of first $20 million of capital cost
   
• Ontario Fuel Cell Innovation Program
  Description: Fund corporations/consortiums in the commercialization, manufacturing or pilot demonstration of fuel cells and related technologies.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Maximum $500,000 per project
   
• Ontario Solar Thermal Heating Incentive (OSTHI)
  Description: $14.4 million in funding to encourage industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) entities in Ontairo to install qualifying solar thermal heating equipment.
   
• Ontario Works Employment Placement
  Description: Designed to assist employers with their hiring needs by offering financial incentives to offset training and hiring costs of new employees and WSIB indemnity for the first six months.  Ontario Works also provides a pre-screening service to assure employers they will only see applicants who are qualified for the specified job requirements.
   
• Production Services Tax Credit (OPSTC) - Ontario
  Description: Ontario refundable tax credit for qualifying labour expenditures for those productions that do not meet the Canadian content requirements
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: 18% refundable tax credit on labour expenditures.
   
• Productivity Plus Financing (BDC)
  Description: Assist small manufacturers and processing companies to acquire equipment
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Financing up to $5 million new or used equipment
   
• Research Employee Stock Option Credit - Ontario
  Description: Reduces or eliminates Ontario personal income tax arising from the exercise or disposition of eligible stock options granted by R&D companies to their eligible employees.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Up to $100,000 in personal income deduction for R&D personnel
   
• Research Fund (ORF) - Ontario
  Description: Supports the operational costs (direct and indirect) and the capital costs of research of Ontario's research community
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Matching funds towards projects granted by Canada Foundation for Innovation
   
• Retail Sales Tax Exemption on R&D and Manufacturing Equipment - Ontario
  Description: Exemption from the Ontario Retail Sales Tax Act for equipment used primarily in manufacturing exclusively for R&D, or in non-profit medical research facilities for medical research and investigation
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Exempt from RST (8%)
   
• Rural Economic Development Program
  Description: Partnerships/strategic alliances between individuals, businesses, community organizations and municipalities to revitalize rural communities.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Funds up to 50% of project costs
   
• Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) Tax Incentive Program - Canada
  Description: The largest single source of federal support for industrial R&D. Investment tax credits for expenditures such as wages, materials, machinery, equipment, some overhead, and SR&ED contracts.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: 35% tax credit for first $2 million of expenditures, 20% on any excess amount
   
• Small Business Investment Tax Credit for Financial Institutions - Ontario
  Description: Tax credit allows qualifying financial institutions to reduce their capital tax liability where they make certain types of investments in small business.
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: tax credit earned equals temporary surcharge plus 20% of its capital tax liability on adjusted taxable paid-up capital over $400million
   
• Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initiative (SADI)
  Description: Firms, organizations or institutions may apply for investments assistance repayable over the long term in conducting R&D in eligible aerospace and defence technologies
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Repayable contributions to 30 percent of a project's total eligible costs.
   
• Summer Jobs Service - Ontario
  Description: Wage support for employers hiring students for seasonal jobs during the summer
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Wage support of $2/hr to 16 weeks
   
• Targeted Wage Subsidies Program - Ontario
  Description: Temporary wage subsidies to assist employers providing on-the-job experience and hiring individuals who face barriers in finding employment
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Subsidy less than 60% of wages paid
   
• Youth Business Foundation Start-Up Financing Program - Canada
  Description: Mentoring, educational resources and start-up financing assistance to aspiring young entrepreneurs
  Terms/Assistance/Benefits: Loan up to $15,000