INAC Services Limited

Funding Now Available for Hiring Summer Students

dreynolds@inacservices.com — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:00:15 +0000

Canada Summer Jobs funds the hiring of summer students by businesses with less than 50 employees as well as not-for-profit and public sector organizations. For eligible businesses the subsidy is 50% of the adult minimum wage per student hired. For not for profit organizations funding is up to 100% of adult minimum wage per student hired. The length of employment must be for 30 to 40 hours per week for no less than six weeks. The maximum funding to any applicant will not exceed $300,000. Eligible summer students are to be between the ages of 15 and 30, and will be continuing full time academic studies. Funding preference will be for jobs that:

Support local priorities and community services
Provide meaningful work experience and financial contribution
Employ a disabled, visible minority or Aboriginal
Offer sound supervision and mentoring
Are directed toward members of, and support the vitality of, an official-language minority community

Supported work terms are expected to be from the beginning of May to the end of August.

Applications will be available and accepted from February 1 to February 29, 2012.

$5 Million Available for Specialized Skills Training

dreynolds@inacservices.com — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:20:32 +0000

Ontario’s Achieving Innovation & Manufacturing Excellence initiative (AIME) will contribute 50% up to $50,000 for employee and employer training. The training must be related to supporting innovation that will make a company more globally competitive. The program pays 50% of trainer, content, and curriculum costs as well as 50% of trainee, travel, facility rental, and material/consumable expenses. Eligible initiatives include but are not limited to up-skilling, retaining, or training in:

Existing or more advanced hardware and software
New safety procedures or equipment
Novel product production and processes
Introducing or enhancing manufacturing methods or quality standards
Implementation and operation of new materials, equipment and technologies

To qualify, companies must have between 15 and 1,500 employees, operate a manufacturing facility or facilities in Ontario, have been in business for 3 years, demonstrate a “solid financial footing”, and produce product for sale. Please be advised that previous AIME recipients are not eligible. Because of limited funding, interested parties should apply as soon as possible.

Program Offers Grants for Sector Sustainability Projects

dreynolds@inacservices.com — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:56:52 +0000

Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP) offers up to 85% in grants to a maximum of $3 million over 5 years towards assisting Agriculture and Agri-Food organizations and their private stakeholders adapt to change, respond to emerging issues, or capture new market opportunities. Eligible expenses include labour, facilities, equipment or machinery rentals, and third-party consulting and services costs. Minor assets of less than $10,000, supplies, and other out of pockets expenditures can also be supported. Organizations can also receive 25% funding for capital expenditures plus include in-kind support as part of their 15%. Funding preference will be given to projects that:

Have industry-leveraged cash funding
Address cross-provincial borders issues
Include many partners, industry councils or national organizations
Disseminate results to a broad-based, targeted audience

Individual sector businesses can apply for up to $100,000 in project support. However, such projects must result in significant sector benefits. All projects must be completed by October 2013.

Submission due date is March 15, 2012.

Tax Rebate Available for Vacant Toronto Commercial/Industrial Properties

dreynolds@inacservices.com — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:36:21 +0000

The City of Toronto’s Property Tax Rebate Program will rebate 30% of the tax attributed for vacant commercial properties and 35% of the tax attributed for vacant industrial properties located in the city of Toronto. Eligibility is based on: a building being entirely vacant for 90 consecutive days; partially vacant where the vacant portion is unused for 90 consecutive days and is clearly separated, or delineated from the used portions of the building. Commercial buildings must be either capable of being leased for immediate occupancy or undergoing or in need of repairs, renovations or construction that prevent it from being available for lease for immediate occupancy or is unfit for occupancy. A property is not eligible if it is used on a seasonal basis, leased to a tenant who is in possession of the leasehold interest and included in a vacant land subclass. Billed taxes on a property must be paid in full. Rebates are processed separately. A maximum of two applications per property per year may be submitted by the property owner, property owner’s lawyer or registered paralegal or property owner’s agent or authorized representative. This rebate is not retroactive. The application deadline for the 2011 taxation year is February 29, 2012. If all eligibility requirements are met a rebate is processed and a cheque is issued to the property owner within 4 to 6 weeks.

Over $18 Million Available for Southern Ontario Export Manufacturers

dreynolds@inacservices.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:24:05 +0000

The SMART Prosperity Now program will reimburse southern Ontario manufacturers up to 33% of expansion project costs, to a maximum of $75,000. Corporations are eligible if, for at least two years, they have been operating a southern-Ontario-based, 15- to 1,000-staffed manufacturing facility that directly or indirectly supplies an existing or planned international export market. Projects must improve the facility’s operational efficiency by increasing productivity, investing in green energy and technology, commercializing products, or developing new domestic or global markets. Eligible project costs include but are not limited to:

Capital purchases and installation costs, excluding costs of land, building or vehicle purchase
Consulting fees, including business planning, international patents, translation services, foreign legal fees
Technology upgrades, including software
Marketing activities, including tradeshow fees, foreign branding and website development

The program’s project component is complemented by an optional assessment component. Eligible companies can apply for 50% of the cost of a productivity, technology- commercialization, or international-market assessment performed by a qualified service provider—to a maximum of $5,000.

Project start-dates can be no earlier than January 1, 2012. Projects must be completed within one year and no later than March, 2014. Prosperity Now is a highly competitive program in which funding is limited to a few hundred corporations. Companies are encouraged to apply in early February, 2012.

INAC Client Approved for $15 million in Foreign Investment

dreynolds@inacservices.com — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:05:26 +0000

The Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) permits businesses to secure up to $25 million in foreign investment financing plus expertise to help start and grow their enterprise. The program approves company requests to seek out talented foreign nationals to make a non-redeemable, non-passive, minimum $1 million contribution (or one-third equity control) in exchange for fast-tracked Canadian immigration and a permanent management job. Ontario companies can request up to 25 of such investment/expertise nominees. Salaries to be paid to the nominees are to be inline with prevailing wage levels.

Eligible Ontario companies must make at least a $3 million investment proposal, ensuring job creation for existing Ontarians by matching investment nominee positions with other new job positions at a one-to-one ratio on larger projects. Application intake is continuous, and processing is first-come, first-served. The program has no cap on application volume and no fixed deadline. There are a total of 1,000 nominee positions available through the Ontario PNP this year.

Agrifood/Agriculture Funding for Hiring Graduates Almost Exhausted

dreynolds@inacservices.com — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:10:18 +0000

The Career Focus Program in Agriculture and Agri-Food will contribute 50% up to $20,000 towards employing a graduate of a Canadian university, college, CEGEP or provincially certified program focusing on biological, agricultural or veterinary science or applied technology. Terms of employment must be between 4 to 12 months and be project focused. Employers can hire one graduate at a time per project, and as many as 20 graduates for 10 projects over a 24 month period. Employers must provide meaningful job experience, and significantly increase the graduate’s chance of securing long-term employment or self-employment. Graduates need to be between 15 and 30 years old, and have graduated in the past three years. Funding is limited. Therefore, it is recommended that interested parties submit an application as soon as possible. Final deadline for applications is February 18, 2011.

Deadline Approaching for Securing Funding to Promote Ontario Food Products in Institutions

dreynolds@inacservices.com — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:52:52 +0000

The Broader Public Sector Investment Fund will grant up to 75% to a maximum of $500,000 towards partnered activities that will increase the purchase and sale of Ontario healthy agri-food products by public institutions. These activities can include but not limited to establishing distribution networks, product development, encouraging an awareness and demand for locally grown/processed foods and creating suitable packaging and storage facilities for ensuring consistent product supply. The fund will cover expenses incurred for market research, promotional materials, essential equipment (e.g. freezers, packaging, labeling equipment) and project marketing as well as management staff. Direct income support, capital investments, basic research or debt financing expenses are not eligible for funding.

Partnerships must include at least one provincial private sector food business and one public sector institutions e.g. school, government facility, hospital, etc. Each partner must make a minimum financial and/or in-kind contribution of 10%. It is expected that most contribution requests will be 50% for $100,000 to $200,000. Total available funding is $4 million.

Deadlines for applying are:

Round One: November 1, 2010.

Round Two: Letters of Intent February 15, 2011. Application April 1, 2011

Round Three: Letter of Intent June 15th, 2011. Application August 1st, 2011

GRANT TO HIRE POST SECONDARY GRADUATES FOR MARKETING AND OTHER NON-TECHNICAL POSITIONS

dreynolds@inacservices.com — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:51:37 +0000

The Career Focus Youth Internship programs will contribute up to 50% to a maximum of $20,000 towards hiring new or recent post-secondary graduates, who are seeking work in their field of study. Graduates must be 15 to 30 years old, out of school, not receiving Employment Insurance (EI) benefits and have Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or with refugee status. Businesses can hire interns for non-technical work placement positions including but not limited to accounting, sales & marketing, business development and project support. Normally, no more than two interns are awarded to any one company.

Although the intention of the program is to help graduates find reasonable full time employment, employers are not obligated to retain the interns after the funding contract is completed. Funding approvals usually take no more than three weeks after a complete application has been submitted. Support is still available for the current government fiscal year ending March 31, 2011. However, employers are urged to submit applications as soon as possible.

Funding Available to Support Ontario Businesses Commercialize Energy Saving Technologies

dreynolds@inacservices.com — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 23:21:21 +0000

The Technology Development Fund awards grants of up to 50% to a maximum of $250,000 towards studying, developing, demonstrating and/or verifying the performance of an emerging, pre-commercialized energy technology or application. To be eligible, projects must have the potential to significantly improve the supply, conservation or demand management of Ontario electricity. Submissions will be evaluated on the need, benefit and validity of the proposed technology or application, as well as on the applicant’s financial, technical and business resources. Moreover, priority will be given to projects undertaken in partnerships with other businesses and/or public institutions. Eligible expenses include:

Planning, feasibility studies, field tests and commercialization plans

Participation in conferences, workshops and other proceedings necessary for project execution.

Travel, supplies and other incremental costs

Community or sector consultation/education including project surveys, website development and other communication tools.

Pilot installations including construction or renovation/retrofit as well as leases essential for undertaking the pilot, yet limited to its duration

Ineligible expenses are those that are not related to the project, are incurred prior to receiving funding approval, and real estate or capital equipment purchases. The program has an annual budget of $1.5 million and, on average, awards approximately $100,000 per project.

Next Deadline is Friday, February 25, 2011