Productivity Improvement and Expansion

ESSOR: Support for Investment Projects

Investissement Québec

Companies operating in the following sectors:

• Manufacturing;
• Software publishing;
• Private research centres;
• Environmental services;
• Tourism (subject to certain restrictions).

Eligible Projects

• Investments of at least $250,000 designed to diversify or consolidate a sector in which Québec has competitive advantages OR to bring about an increase in payroll of at least $2million over three years.

OR

• Any other project that creates jobs and has significant economic benefits may also be considered.

• The financial assistance takes the form of a loan or a loan guarantee.
• A loan guarantee may cover up to 70% of a net loss.
• The maximum term of the financial assistance is 10 years.
• The financial assistance granted by governments may not exceed 50% of the total project cost. However, it may amount to 55% in the case of projects carried out in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region and 60% in the case of projects carried out in remote regions (Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord, Nord-du-Québec and Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine).
• Repayment of the principal may be deferred under some conditions.

UNIQ Financing

Investissement Québec

Québec businesses in all economic sectors are eligible, except the following:

• Agriculture;
• Finance and insurance;
• Real estate;
• Services to individuals;
• Retail sales and related or comparable activities;
• Other sectors in which the client base is made up mainly of individuals, except for the tourism sectortouristique.

Eligible Projects

UNIQ Financing has two components, depending on the nature of the project:

• Capital assets for businesses that want to acquire assets
• Working capital for businesses that need increase their liquidity.

More details on eligible projects

• Loan, loan guarantee or quasi-equity financing.
• The minimum amount of financing from Investissement Québec is $50,000.
• The financing may cover up to 100% of the project costs.
• The maximum duration of the financial assistance is 10 years (working capital component) and 20 years (capital assets component).
• Repayment of the capital amount may be deferred up to 12 months (working capital component) and 24 months (capital assets component).
• Securities may be required.

Financing of Refundable Tax Credits

Investissement Québec

Businesses that qualify for one of the following tax credits:

• Scientific research and experimental development: Federal and provincial sections;

• Payroll increase: Aluminum Valley (VA); Gaspésie and Certain Maritime Regions of Québec (GM); Processing Operations in Resource Regions (AT);

• Knowledge-based economy: Development of E-Business (CDAE); Biotechnology Development Centres (CDB); Major Employment-generating Projects (GPCE); Production of Multimedia Titles (PTM).

• Loan guarantee or loan.
• Minimum amount of loan guarantee: $50,000 for the SRED tax credits and $20,000 for the other tax credits.
• The loan guarantee can cover up to 80% of the net loss.
• The maximum duration for financial assistance is 18 months.
• For loans, the amount granted by Investissement Québec may cover up to 75% of refundable tax credits for a given fiscal year.

Eco-Financing

Investissement Québec

Québec businesses in all economic sectors are eligible, except the following:

• Agriculture;
• Finance and insurance;
• Real estate;
• Services to individuals;
• Retail sales and related or comparable activities;
• Other sectors in which the client base is made up mainly of individuals, except for the tourism sector.

Eligible Projects

• Acquisition of capital assets for greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction
• Working capital expenditures, including R&D for GHG reduction
• Expenditures for the qualification, quantification and certification of offset credits (carbon credits)
• Acquisition of offset credits to comply with your business sector standards

• Loan, loan guarantee or quasi-equity financing.
• The minimum amount of financing from Investissement Québec is $50,000.
• The financing may cover up to 100% of the project costs.
• The loan guarantee may cover up to 85% of the net loss.
• The maximum duration of the financial assistance is 20 years, depending on the nature of your project.
• Repayment of the capital amount may be deferred.
• Securities may be required.

Business Assistance – Immigrant Investor Program

Investissement Québec

Businesses that have obtained a favourable recommendation from an accredited financial intermediary and carry on operations in one of the following sectors:

• Manufacturing;
• New economy (biotechnology, pharmaceutical industry, aeronautics and aerospace);
• High value-added information technology;
• Tourism;
• Environmental restoration;
• Recycling, waste recovery and processing;
• Call centres;
• Aquaculture, sea farming and marine biotechnology;
• Horticultural specialties.

Eligible Projects

• Investment: business start-up; growth, modernization or production improvement; standards-related certification; technological or design innovation;
• Market development: commercialization of products outside Québec.

• Non-repayable contribution;
• Minimum: $40,000;
• Maximum: 10% of total project costs (15% for business start-ups);
• Financial assistance may not exceed $250,000 per business per three-year period.

Any physical or legal person who possesses, operates or occupies an industrial building located in Québec associated with a goods-producing industry.

Eligible Projects

Any analysis project involving the implementation of energy efficiency measures that will reduce specific electricity consumption (per unit produced). Predefined measures for lighting, variable-frequency drives, air compression and water chilling that are included in the industrial systems software (PROSI) for the Prescriptive Measures Component must be excluded from the analysis.

• 50% of eligible costs, up to a ceiling of $25,000 per analysis.
• Cumulative maximum from 2011 to 2015: $100,000 per site (for all analysis projects).

Any physical person or corporation that owns, operates or occupies an industrial building in Québec associated with a goods-producing industry and that has an annual electricity bill of more than $750,000. Customers of municipal and off-grid systems are also eligible.

• 50% of eligible purchase and installation costs of permanent measuring instruments, up to $75,000.
• 50% of the eligible costs of electricity management plan development and implementation (minimum duration of 1 year), up to $50,000.
• Cumulative maximum as of 2011: $125,000.

Eligible customers may obtain financial assistance provided, among other conditions, that they inform Hydro-Québec of the recommendations implemented after the project is carried out.

Any individual or corporation that owns, operates or occupies an industrial building in Québec associated with a goods-producing industry.

Eligible Projects

Any project that aims to cut electricity consumption by at least 25,000 kWh per year, with a payback period of 1 to 10 years when costs are recouped solely through eligible electricity savings.

To satisfy project requirements, there are two caps on financial assistance, depending on project size.

More details.

Any individual or corporation that owns, operates or occupies an industrial building in Québec associated with a goods-producing industry.

Eligible Projects

Any project that aims to cut electricity consumption by at least 25,000 kWh per year, with a payback period of 2 to 10 years, when costs are recouped solely through eligible electricity savings.

• The amount of financial assistance depends on the applicable rate (Rate L or other rate).
• It is the smallest of the following amounts:
  • 75% of eligible additional costs;
  • The amount required to reduce the payback period to 2 years, when costs are recouped solely through electricity savings;
  • 15¢/kWh (Rate L) and 25 ¢/kWh (other rates).
• Maximum assistance per project: $5 million (Rate L) or $1.5 million (other rates).

Any individual or corporation that owns, operates or occupies an industrial building in Québec associated with a goods-producing industry that has an annual electricity bill of more than $200,000.

Eligible Projects

• Any project involving a highly efficient, commercially available technology not currently used in a given industry in Québec because it is unknown or associated with certain risks.
• Any project that aims to cut electricity consumption by at least 25,000 kWh per year.

The amount of financial assistance granted varies on a case-by-case basis, as follows:

• Up to 50% of eligible product costs;
• Up to a ceiling of $300,000.