FedNor · REGIONAL TARIFF RESPONSE INITIATIVE

FedNor tariff relief funding

RTRI for businesses in Northern Ontario.

FedNor delivers the Regional Tariff Response Initiative in Northern Ontario through its self-service client portal. The application is a single phase, and FedNor asks you to speak with a FedNor officer before you submit. We help you prepare for that conversation and build the application behind it.

How to apply in Northern Ontario

Free one-on-one consultation. Practical guidance for your business. No obligation to hire us.

Checked against FedNor's RTRI pages on October 29, 2026 • Official sources linked below

Read the Canada-wide tariff relief guide

FUNDING IN NORTHERN ONTARIO

Liquidity assistance
and pivot projects.

Liquidity assistance covers tariff-related cash-flow shortfalls in your existing labour and overhead. Pivot projects fund net-new investment on top of the business you already run. You can apply for either, or both. FedNor applies the national terms below in Northern Ontario.

You do not need a pivot project to request liquidity assistance. Not-for-profits that support businesses can apply for project funding but not for liquidity.

01 / EXISTING LABOUR AND OVERHEAD

Liquidity assistance

Non-repayable support for a tariff-related cash-flow shortfall in the business you already run. It is based on your average payroll over the last 12 months, with overhead such as rent, utilities, insurance and property taxes considered where needed.

Funding
Up to $2M, non-repayable
Basis
50% of average monthly payroll, capped at your demonstrated 12-month need
Period
Up to 12 months, ending by March 31, 2028

In Northern Ontario

FedNor's portal asks for average eligible monthly payroll over the latest 12 completed months, backed by payroll records and CRA remittance reports, plus a written explanation tied to your cash-flow forecast and pre-tariff baseline.

Tariffs, customs duties, raw materials, inventory and debt payments are not eligible liquidity costs. Dividends are restricted while liquidity support is in place.

02 / NET-NEW INVESTMENT

Pivot projects

Funding for net-new investment on top of your existing labour, overhead and operations: equipment, automation, expansion, new markets and reinvestment in the business.

Non-repayable
Up to $1M; up to 50% of eligible costs
Repayable
Over $1M; up to 75% of eligible costs, interest-free
Completion
By March 31, 2029

In Northern Ontario

The portal records project location inside FedNor's catchment area, jobs created and maintained, and results such as export revenue outside the U.S. and the value of Canadian steel, wood and aluminum used.

Land and building purchases, entertainment, vehicles and refinancing are not eligible. Projects need measurable, incremental results.

How the limits fit together

Up to $3M in combined non-repayable support: $2M for liquidity plus $1M for a non-repayable pivot. Total RTRI support, including repayable funding, is capped at $20M per business. The same costs cannot be funded twice.

WHO CAN APPLY

Who qualifies in
Northern Ontario.

FedNor funds incorporated, for-profit businesses located and operating in Northern Ontario.

Retail, local consumer services (such as hotels, restaurants, utilities, healthcare and recreation), oil and gas extraction and construction services are generally not eligible.

$1M+ in annual revenue

In at least one of your last two fiscal years. This is a revenue threshold, not a minimum project size. Smaller firms can still ask the agency about other options.

Viable before tariffs

Assessed through your attestation, financial statements and operating history. Businesses founded after March 21, 2025 are considered case by case.

Forestry and its supply chain

Transportation companies may qualify when their core business is tied to the operations or value chain of forestry exporters.

Services to manufacturing exporters

Professional, scientific and technical services, and warehousing and logistics businesses, may qualify if they play a critical role in a tariff-impacted manufacturer's supply chain.

THE CORE OF THE APPLICATION

Tariff impact is
what gets assessed.

Every RTRI application has to show how tariffs, Canadian counter-tariffs or the uncertainty around them affected your business. You need to meet at least one of these tests, and liquidity requests must also show a cash-flow need caused by tariffs.

The portal gives you 2,000 characters to explain the tariff impact: what changed and when, which products, materials, customers or markets were affected, and the financial effect. Evidence can include export sales records, supplier notices, customs documents, lost contracts, layoffs or EI Work-Sharing uptake.

  1. 01

    Operates in a sector hit by Section 232 or Section 338 tariffs, including indirect exposure as a supplier to an affected exporter, or in another tariff-impacted sector.

  2. 02

    Earns at least 25% of revenue from goods that are ultimately exported to the U.S.

  3. 03

    Can show harm from tariffs or the uncertainty they created: higher input costs, supply chain disruption, or lost revenue and customers.

A general slowdown on its own does not establish tariff impact. The connection has to be documented.

HOW TO APPLY WITH FEDNOR

The FedNor process,
step by step.

FedNor self-service portal, after a call with a FedNor officer. Here is how the process runs in Northern Ontario, based on FedNor's published guidance.

  1. 01

    Speak with a FedNor officer

    FedNor asks applicants to contact an officer in their area to discuss the project before submitting. You speak with FedNor directly; we help you prepare what to cover.

  2. 02

    Set up portal access

    Sign in to the FedNor portal with a GCKey or a Sign-In Partner (online banking) login, then register your organization. Only a portal administrator can change organization details.

  3. 03

    Complete the online sections

    Organization, profile, contacts, tariff impact, liquidity and or pivot project, budget, attachments, disclosures and certification. Drafts save automatically with a reference number.

  4. 04

    Certify and submit

    A person with signing authority certifies the application. Keep your application number for all correspondence with FedNor.

Documents to prepare

  • Incorporation documents, including amendments and ownership information
  • Financial statements for the last two fiscal years
  • Evidence of tariff impact, such as export sales information
  • Liquidity: payroll records, CRA payroll remittance reports and a quantified liquidity need
  • Pivot: key management and project team biographies and a project schedule
  • Details of other government funding received or requested

What is different in Northern Ontario

Portal, one phase

The whole application is completed and submitted inside FedNor's self-service portal, which also handles claims and reports later.

Officer conversation first

FedNor asks you to discuss the project with a FedNor officer before submitting.

Northern partners in the budget

The portal's funding sources include provincial funders such as NOHFC and lenders such as BDC or a Community Futures Development Corporation.

FedNor officers
Find an officer in your area on FedNor's contact page
Portal support
1-877-333-6673
Existing recipients
Contact your FedNor project officer

HOW FUNDSPOKE HELPS

You run the business.
We build the funding case.

FedNor's portal limits each answer to a few thousand characters, so the tariff story, the payroll math and the forecast have to agree and fit. We draft and check every section with you before it goes in.

01

Find the fit

Review your operations, revenue history and tariff exposure against FedNor's criteria. Decide on liquidity, a pivot project, or both.

02

Prepare the application

Build the tariff impact evidence, payroll and cash-flow forecasts, project budget and narrative. You review and approve everything before you submit.

03

Stay through delivery

Support due diligence, the contribution agreement, claims and reporting after approval. You speak with the agency; we prepare you for each conversation.

A useful starting point

Your location, revenue for the last two fiscal years and a short description of how tariffs have affected you. We will work through the rest together.

FedNor RTRI QUESTIONS

Tariff relief in
Northern Ontario, answered.

Answers drawn from FedNor's published RTRI guidance.

FedNor's official RTRI page
How do I apply for FedNor tariff relief funding?

FedNor asks you to speak with a FedNor officer about your project first. Applications are then completed in one phase in the FedNor self-service portal, which you sign in to with a GCKey or a Sign-In Partner login. FedNor recommends reviewing its RTRI application guide before you start.

What does the FedNor portal application ask for?

Sections cover your organization and profile, contacts, tariff impact, liquidity assistance, the pivot project, budget, attachments, disclosures and certification. Only the sections that match the support you select are shown. Tariff impact and liquidity explanations are limited to 2,000 characters each, so they need to be precise.

Can a trucking or transportation company in Northern Ontario qualify?

It may, if its core business activities are directly tied to the operations or value chain of exporters in the forestry sector. Professional, technical, warehousing and logistics firms may also qualify when they play a critical role in a tariff-impacted manufacturing exporter's supply chain.

Can RTRI be combined with NOHFC or other funding?

Other government support is allowed as long as the same costs are not funded twice, and all sources must be disclosed. FedNor's budget section lists provincial funders such as NOHFC among possible sources. Combined government assistance on a pivot project will normally not exceed 90% of eligible costs, or up to 100% for Indigenous-led projects.

How long does FedNor take to decide?

FedNor does not publish an RTRI decision timeline. Applications are assessed as they are received, including a review of the business case and financial projections, and approval also depends on funding availability.

ONE NATIONAL INITIATIVE. SEVEN AGENCIES.

Operating in more
than one region?

Each regional development agency funds its own region. If you have employees in more than one agency's area, separate requests are needed for each. See how RTRI works elsewhere in Canada.

FedDev Ontario

Southern Ontario

Fillable PDF form, submitted from Adobe Acrobat Reader

CED

Quebec

Contact CED first; CED assesses eligibility, then sends the form

ACOA

Atlantic Canada

MyACOA Client Portal, after talking to your nearest ACOA office

PrairiesCan

Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba

Detailed application in the PrairiesCan online portal

PacifiCan

British Columbia

PacifiCan online portal, stream “BC (PacifiCan) - RTRI-Business”

CanNor

Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut

PDF application form, submitted from the form or by email to CanNor

CANADA-WIDE

Tariff relief guide

How RTRI works, indirect impacts and common questions

LET'S FIND YOUR NEXT STEP

Tariffs changed the plan.
Let's work on the response.

Tell us what has changed for your business. In a free, one-on-one consultation, we will help you understand your FedNor funding options and next steps, whether or not you work with us.

Independent advisory by Fundspoke. We are not a government agency. Your business remains the applicant and speaks with FedNor directly. Program terms and intake availability may change; FedNor's current rules and your contribution agreement govern funding.