ONTARIO NEWS RELEASE: Ontario Expanding Eligibility for Tariff Support Programs

TORONTO — In response to the United States government’s most recent actions targeting Ontario workers and businesses, the Ontario government is expanding eligibility under the Protect Ontario Financing Program (POFP) and the Ontario Together Trade Fund (OTTF) to protect jobs in tariff-impacted sectors. On September 8, the U.S. government outlined a range of measures aimed at Canadian exports to the U.S., including additional 50 per cent tariffs that are set to take effect on September 15 and import bans on certain Canadian goods including alcohol, dairy products and motorcycles set to take effect on September 29. Ontario’s expansion of eligibility will provide businesses with critical capital support so they can keep their doors open, keep workers on the job and reshore their supply chains.

“Ontario will not back down in our fight to protect our workers and businesses from tariffs and economic uncertainty,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “In the face of President Trump’s latest economic attacks, we are helping businesses keep workers on the job and building an economy that can stand up to anything that comes our way for decades to come.”

The $1 billion POFP provides immediate relief for Ontario businesses impacted by tariffs and trade disruptions by providing loans that can be used for costs such as payroll, lease payments and utilities. The $150 million OTTF provides grants or loans to small and medium-sized Ontario businesses to help them expand interprovincial trade and reshore supply chains away from the United States.

“Our government is delivering nearly $30 billion in support for tariff-impacted workers and businesses, providing critical support so we can protect workers and communities,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance. “We’ll do whatever it takes to protect Ontario jobs as we continue delivering on our plan to build the most competitive economy in the G7.”

Eligibility for tariff-impacted businesses under both programs will be expanded as U.S. trade actions against Canadian products take effect.

While Ontario continues to make every effort to protect workers and businesses impacted by the ongoing uncertainty and rising costs caused by the U.S. administration, the government is also delivering on its plan to build the most competitive, resilient and self-reliant economy in the G7. This includes:

• Unlocking Ontario’s vast supply of critical minerals, including in the Ring of Fire, which can add 70,000 jobs and $22 billion to Ontario’s economy. This past summer, construction work began on the Marten Falls Community Access Road, the Webequie Supply Road and the Anaconda and Painter Lake Roads, which are critical links in the Ring of Fire road network. Working in partnership with First Nations, Ontario is on track to build the Ring of Fire road network five years ahead of schedule.
• Building and expanding nuclear energy, including construction of the first small modular reactor in the G7; refurbishment of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station and the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station; and planning for new nuclear generation, including at the Wesleyville site in Port Hope. Collectively, Ontario’s plan to expand and build new nuclear power generation could add 150,000 jobs and $800 billion in GDP to the province’s economy, providing a long-term supply of reliable and affordable clean energy to power the province’s homes and businesses.
• Delivering the Northern Shield Energy Corridor from Hardisty, Alberta to Sarnia along an all-Canadian route, built by Canadian workers using Canadian steel.
• Keeping hundreds of thousands of workers on the job through Ontario’s $236 billion infrastructure plan, which includes new highways, hospitals and housing-enabling infrastructure as well as the largest transit expansion plan in North America.

Ontario will continue doing whatever it takes to protect workers, businesses and communities from tariffs.