Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) | Agri-Food Energy Cost Savings Initiative

“Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness and Ministry of Rural Affairs”

SVG
SVG

$300,000.00

Maximum Eligible Amount

Government Grant

Fund Type

The Agri-Food Energy Cost Savings Initiative is a new, cost-share initiative to help food processors lower their costs to be more competitive and sustainable. The focus is on supporting projects that prioritize reducing greenhouse gas emissions by investing in new technology, equipment, as well as building or facility modifications to help achieve this goal.

 

The purpose of the Initiative is to support competitiveness, profitability, growth and long-term sustainability of Processors by implementing technologies and processes to increase energy efficiency in their operations.

1. Purpose of the Initiative

The purpose of the Initiative is to support competitiveness, profitability, growth and long-term sustainability of Processors by implementing technologies and processes to increase energy efficiency in their operations.

2. Term of the Initiative

2.1 Commencement of the Initiative

The Initiative intake will begin on April 27, 2023 and end on June 5, 2023.

3. Funding for the Initiative

3.1 Maximum funding available to a Recipient under the Initiative

A Recipient is eligible to receive 20% of Eligible Costs up to a maximum of $300,000 in funding per Project under the Initiative.

3.2 Source and amount of funding for Initiative

Funding for the Initiative comes from the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP). Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) has been allocated for the Initiative. Depending on the demand, four million dollars ($4,000,000) is expected to be dedicated to support Projects that take place in Rural Communities.

4. Operation of the Initiative

4.1 Eligible and ineligible activities

4.1.1 Eligible activities

The following activities are eligible under the Initiative:

  1. purchase or modification of equipment and technology that improve energy efficiency
  2. purchase or modification of water use equipment and technology that improve energy efficiency
  3. purchase of energy monitoring controls and equipment and technology
  4. building envelope energy efficiency improvements including:
    1. renewable energy
    2. lighting
    3. ventilation
    4. heating
    5. refrigeration
    6. water heating and cooling

4.1.2 Ineligible activities

The following activities are ineligible under the Initiative:

  1. purchase or modification of equipment and technology that does not improve energy efficiency
  2. purchase or modification of water use equipment and technology that does not improve energy efficiency
  3. building envelope improvements that do not result in energy efficiency improvements
  4. any activities that do not result in the reduction of overall operational costs
  5. any other activities not set out under section 4.1.1 of the Guidelines

4.2 Eligible Costs and Ineligible Costs under the Initiative

4.2.1 Eligible Costs under the Initiative

The following costs are eligible for the purposes of the Initiative, provided they were reasonably incurred and necessary to complete the Recipient’s Project:

  1. costs that were incurred after the Ministry approved the Project but before March 31, 2025
  2. costs that reflect the actual costs to the Recipient, less any costs, including taxes, for which the Recipient has received, will receive or is eligible to receive, a rebate, credit or refund
  3. equipment costs:
    1. costs related to the purchase and installation of new equipment, parts, components and/or technology that improve energy efficiency
    2. costs related to the purchase and installation of used or refurbished equipment, parts, components and/or technology that improve energy efficiency if purchases are made directly from an Original Equipment Manufacturer
  4. water equipment costs:
    1. costs related to the purchase, installation or modification of water use equipment and technology that improve energy efficiency (for example, Clean in Place (CIP) systems that use cold water instead of hot water, equipment to recover and reuse waste heat from processing water)
  5. facility improvements:
    1. costs related to building energy efficiency improvements (such as lighting, ventilation, heating, refrigeration)

4.2.2 Ineligible Costs under the Initiative

The following costs are ineligible for the purposes of the Initiative:

  1. costs to apply to the Initiative
  2. costs incurred before the Ministry approved the Project as well as costs incurred after March 31, 2025
  3. costs to obtain goods, services or both, where those goods, services or both were not obtained from an entity operating at Arm’s Length from the Recipient
  4. costs related to the Recipient’s ordinary business operations (such as day-to-day business operating expenses related directly to producing the goods or services sold by a business, to selling goods and services, costs of running a business)
  5. third-party costs:
    1. any third-party costs for planning, analysis, data collection, design, training, engineering including those directly related to the energy efficiency project
    2. any third-party advisory costs for training of key personnel including on project-related new equipment, technology, software and processes
    3. any third-party advisory costs for development and translation of preventative maintenance procedures and standard operational procedures
  6. equipment and service costs:
    1. costs related to the purchase of used or refurbished equipment, parts, components and/or technology from any entity other than the Original Equipment Manufacturer
    2. costs of vehicles, transportation equipment, mobile material handling equipment (powered or unpowered), and construction and agriculture machinery (such as tractors, skid steers, combines, livestock trailers)
    3. costs of purchase and/or installation of ancillary equipment (such as valves, pipes and fittings) including those related to the Project
    4. any costs associated with the leasing of equipment, parts, components and/or technology
  7. transportation, meal and hotel costs
  8. in-kind costs
  9. costs related to submitting reports to the Ministry
  10. any other costs that are not set out under section 4.2.1 of the Guidelines

4.3 Eligibility requirements

To be eligible to participate in the Initiative, an Applicant will meet the following requirements:

  1. be a Person that is a Processor
  2. provide its:
    1. CRA BN, or
    2. SIN, but only if the Applicant has been found eligible to participate in the Initiative and is also eligible to receive an Initiative Payment
  3. submit a completed Ministry-approved Application Form to the Ministry in accordance with what is set out under section 4.5 of the Guidelines
  4. have a valid and up to date Premises ID Number for the business location(s) where the Project is to take place. (To register for or update a Premises ID Number, visit the Provincial Premises Registry)
  5. is undertaking an activity set out in section 4.1.1 of the Guidelines
  6. be in compliance with the following for its business operations at the time of applying to the Initiative:
    1. environmental-related Requirements Of Law
    2. labour-related Requirements Of Law
    3. tax-related Requirements Of Law, and
    4. material compliance with all other Requirements Of Law
  7. is not, nor is any officer, director or employee of the Applicant (if any), a current or former federal public office holder or federal public servant, or if the Applicant is, or any officer, director or employee of the Applicant (if any) is, the Applicant, or that officer, director or employee of the Applicant (if any) is in compliance with the Conflict of Interest Act (Canada), the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons (Canada), the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector (Canada) and the Policy on Conflict of Interest and Post-employment (Canada), as applicable
  8. is not, nor is any officer, director or employee of the Applicant (if any), a member of the House of Commons on the Senate, or, if the Applicant is, or any officer, director or employee of the Applicant (if any) is, the Applicant, or the officer, director or employee of the Applicant (if any), is permitted under the Parliament of Canada Act (Canada) to receive funding from Canada under the Partnership
  9. agrees that any intellectual property rights arising from their Project, should the Applicant be found to be eligible to participate in the Initiative as well as receive an Initiative Payment, belongs to the Applicant
  10. agrees that Canada and Ontario may, should the Applicant be found to be eligible to participate in the Initiative as well as receive an Initiative Payment, publish information about the Applicant, including:
    1. project-related information
    2. the Name of the Applicant
    3. the amount of funding Canada and Ontario provided
    4. the outcome of the Project
  11. agrees to be bound by the terms, conditions and requirements of the Initiative, as set out in the Minister’s Order, the Guidelines and the Approval Letter

4.4 Applying to the Initiative

Applicants must apply to the Initiative using a Ministry-approved Application Form (PDF). The Application Form should be filled out using Adobe Acrobat Reader. Applicants that use another format other than Adobe Acrobat Reader to fill out their Application Form may be required to re-submit their Application Form filled out using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Applicants must ensure that their Application Form is fully completed.

In addition to a complete Application Form, Applicants must provide quotes detailing proposed Eligible Costs related to any equipment, technology or facilities improvements for the Project. Supporting documentation provided but not required under the Initiative, will not be reviewed.

Completed Application Forms must be submitted by email to SustainableCAP1@ontario.ca no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on June 5, 2023.  Any Application Forms submitted after this date will not be accepted.

Applicants can only apply one (1) time to the Initiative.

Where Applicants are allowed and have submitted/are submitting more than one Application Form under other Sustainable CAP Initiative(s), the Applicant must ensure that each proposed Project has distinct and separate expected outcome(s).

Applicants must not submit an Application Form for a Project where the Applicant has already received Initiative Payment(s) for the Project through Sustainable CAP. Where Applicants have received funding for the Project through other sources, the total assistance provided from all funding sources cannot be greater than 100% of the total Eligible Costs. All funding for a Project, including from additional sources, must be listed on the Application Form.

Applicants must select and enter in the Application Form the North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS Code) as set out in Appendix B to the Guidelines that best describes the Applicant’s business/organization.

If the Applicant is unable to find the suitable NAICS Code for the business/organization, please review the Processors definition in section 9.1 of the Guidelines as the business/organization may be ineligible for funding under this Initiative.

4.5 Review of Application, evaluation criteria and notification

The Ministry will review the Application Form to determine whether the Applicant is eligible to participate in the Initiative. The Ministry will only review a completed Application Form. Incomplete Application Forms will not be accepted.

Each Application will be evaluated based on the extent to which:

  1. it highlights Project need or demonstrates alignment with an energy audit, assessment, or plan for energy efficiency
  2. the Project leads to improvements in energy efficiency
  3. resources, experience, skills, and knowledge necessary for implementation and ongoing successful use of the technology and/or processes are identified
  4. the Project leads to lower operational costs

The Ministry will provide an Approval Letter via Email to successful Applicants. The Approval Letter will include the following:

  1. a file number, which the Ministry uses to refer to the specific Project
  2. the Project description
  3. the maximum amount of Funds and cost shared percentage approved
  4. the Eligible Costs
  5. the date the Recipient is required to complete its Project
  6. the Claim submission deadline
  7. the final report submission information including deadline

The Ministry will provide an email to unsuccessful Applicants setting out a brief explanation of why they were not approved to participate in the Initiative.

4.6 Submitting claims

A Recipient must submit its Claims to the Ministry for Eligible Costs for completion of its Project via the Ministry’s Claim Portal. A link to the Ministry’s Claim Portal will be provided to a Recipient after the Ministry receives a reply email to the Ministry’s Approval Letter in the form and manner required in that Approval Letter.

The Claim must be complete and supported by true copies of all paid invoices and proofs of payment.

A proof of payment must set out in detail:

  1. who paid for the good, service or both and their relationship to the Recipient
  2. who received the payment
  3. the goods, services or both that were provided
  4. the date of the payment

Acceptable forms of a proof of payment include:

  1. an electronic image of a processed cheque
  2. a statement from a banking institution setting out whom the processed cheque was written, or electronic payment made, and the amount
  3. a credit card or debit card receipt or statement clearly identifying the amount and to whom the payment was made

Note: If using a credit card or debit card receipt, cheque or statement as a proof of payment, the number of the credit or debit card as well as all other information, including the costs that are unrelated to the Recipient’s Project should be blacked out.

All Claims and the final report must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the date(s) set out in the Approval Letter. Any Claims submitted after the required date(s) will be ineligible.

4.7 Review of claims and notification

The Ministry will review all Claims to determine whether the costs being claimed are eligible. Eligible Costs for each Project will be set out in the Approval Letter.

The Ministry may request additional information from the Recipient to verify the validity of a Claim. Where the Ministry requests additional information, the Recipient will provide that additional information as soon as practicable and no later than any date set out in the request. Failure to meet the requested deadline will result in those costs for which additional information was requested being deemed to be Ineligible Costs.

If the costs being claimed are Eligible Costs, an Initiative Payment will be issued for those claimed costs.

If, however, the costs being claimed are Ineligible Costs, those costs will not be reimbursed. The Ministry will notify the Recipient regarding any Ineligible Costs and provide a reason why those costs are Ineligible Costs under the Initiative.

4.8 Initiative payments

To be eligible to receive an Initiative Payment, a Recipient must:

4.9 Loss of eligibility

4.9.1 Willful submission of false or misleading information

Any Applicant or Recipient that willfully submits false or misleading information under the Initiative will:

  1. not be eligible to participate in the Initiative or will have their eligibility to participate in the Initiative revoked
  2. repay any Initiative Payments received under the Initiative



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