Tariff Support for Waterloo Region Businesses

The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) will provide up to $1 billion in loans to help Canadian steel, aluminium and copper producing companies against the effects of tariffs, maintain operations and find new markets. 

BDC will provide working capital loans scaled to fit the size of business and their needs, from $2 million up to $50 million, with repayment of at preferential rates over 36 months. 

The Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) helps businesses overcome trade disruptions. It helps companies boost productivity, lower costs, strengthen supply chain resilience, and open doors to new markets, enhancing overall competitiveness across all sectors, including steel, aluminum, copper, automotive, food security and forestry.

Businesses in southern Ontario with at least 5 full-time employees and fewer than 500 total employees can normally request $125,000 to $10 million in repayable funding or $125,000 to $3 million in non-repayable funding (as of September 2026). Businesses can now also request liquidity support up to $2 million.

Nearly $200 million has been earmarked by FedDev Ontario to support businesses and organizations seeking to enter or grow within defence supply chains and increase their industrial and innovation capacity. Businesses can request up to $10 million in repayable funding.

The Strategic Response Fund (SRF) replaces the Strategic Innovation Fund and supports large-scale projects that strengthen supply chains and protect jobs in sectors like steel, aluminum, automotive, forest products, AI and advanced technologies.

Effective September 2026, the Canada Strong Diversification Fund, a stream of SRF, will have expanded flexibility to support tariff-impacted companies with shovel-ready projects that support ongoing capital maintenance.

The Large Enterprise Tariff Loan (LETL) provides financing support for large Canadian enterprises affected by new tariffs and which face challenges accessing traditional sources of market financing. LETL is intended for large Canadian businesses that have a 36-month liquidity shortfall, after exhausting all other sources of capital.

To be eligible for this loan, businesses must have significant operations in Canada or a significant workforce in Canada and have approximately $150 million, or more, in annual Canadian revenue.

Available to Ontario businesses experiencing working-capital challenges due to U.S. Section 232 or 338 tariffs to steel, aluminum, copper and automotive sectors. Businesses need to have at least $2 million in annual revenue, 10 full-time Ontario employees and three years of operations. Funding is provided as a term loan, beginning at $250,000, for costs such as payroll, leases and utilities.

The Ontario Together Trade Fund (OTTF) provides financial support to help businesses near-term investments so they can serve more interprovincial customers, develop new markets and re-shore critical supply chains in the face of U.S. tariffs. With a focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the program will help businesses, build local capacity, enhance trade resiliency, and make the necessary investments to successfully expand into new markets.

The Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit and the Expanded Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit help Ontario manufacturers lower costs, innovate, and become more competitive.

The Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit is a refundable corporate income tax credit for Canadian‑controlled businesses. As of May 15, 2025, the rate is 15% and a qualifying corporation could receive a tax credit of up to $3 million a year. The Expanded Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit is a 15% non‑refundable corporate income tax credit for corporations that are not Canadian controlled private corporations.

The credits are calculated on eligible investments in buildings, machinery and equipment for use in manufacturing in Ontario.

The Pivot to Grow program offers up to $5 million to help Canadian-based businesses counter the effects of tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S. by preserving cash flow, diversifying your market or buying equipment.

Businesses must have $1 million or more in annual revenue, have been in business for at least 3 years, have historically positive cash flow, and a minimum 15% of sales must be derived from exports to the U.S.

The program will deploy $5 billion over two years, starting this year, to help exporters reach new markets for Canadian products and help companies navigate the economic challenges imposed by the tariffs, including losses from non-payment, currency fluctuations, lack of access to cash flows, and barriers to expansion.

The Department of Finance Canada has announced $1 billion in new financing through Farm Credit Canada to reduce financial barriers for the Canadian agriculture and food industry. This lending offer will help address cash flow challenges so that businesses can adjust to a new operating environment and continue to supply the high-quality agricultural and food products that Canadians rely on.

Eligible small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can get up to $50,000 to cover 50% of the costs of exporting products or services to countries where they have little or no sales. CanExport funding can help your company expand beyond Canada, unlocking global markets and opportunities to grow your business worldwide. These programs were recently updated in light of the current trade challenges to encourage a greater focus on export diversification.

In some select circumstances, the Canadian government will allow a business relief from paying tariffs on goods from the United States in certain circumstances.

The EI Work-Sharing Program provides EI benefits to employees who agree with their employer to work reduced hours due to a decrease in business activity beyond their employer’s control. Temporary flexibilities have been introduced to this program.

The Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade offers programs/services regularly for Ontario companies looking to start, expand and diversify their exports. Most of these supports are free – incoming buyer missions; exporter education seminars/workshops such as “New Exporters to Border States” and “Pitch Preparation”; Market/Sector seminars and more.

Export Business Missions include a variety of services for companies looking to participate in a trade mission/exhibition. Ontario delegates benefit from a comprehensive program that may include exhibit space, B2B matchmaking and advisory services, special events and more, at a reduced cost than if they were to participate in these events independently, saving companies both time and money. Access the searchable Online Trade Calendar to find upcoming missions/events and how you can register.

This is a concierge program from the Government of Canada to help find programs, services, and funding available to businesses.

Ready to take the next step in your export journey? Arrange a free, confidential one-on-one consultation with an Export Advisor in Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Complete their online form and an Export Advisor will contact you within two days.

For businesses seeking new markets, the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service provides support in over 160 locations worldwide. With 15 ratified Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) covering 49 countries, Canadian businesses can access 1.5 billion consumers.

Business diversification is critical to business success. The Trade Commissioner Service has developed a suite of tools and information to help businesses through tariff challenges.

The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service will help exporters navigate the tariffs by understanding how your business is affected, identifying potential new markets, connecting you with the right contacts to help problem solve and helping you find potential partners and opportunities in new markets.

The Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium “Member Needs Help” program is an exclusive service for its members, designed to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing within the manufacturing community. For a limited time, the Canada/US Trade Relations Edition is open to all Canadian manufacturers. Here you can review questions and pose new ones to a community of peers and experts.

Get access to information for more than 12,000 manufacturing establishments and 250 ecosystem partners in Ontario, visually depicted on an interactive map, with enhanced search features.

Get a comprehensive list of all products imported into Canada from the United States – find opportunities to fill gaps in the Canadian market. Even more data available with NGEN’s ResilienceHQ tool.

The Government of Canada searchable directory for Canadian businesses – find potential suppliers.

A searchable list of companies that import goods into Canada, sorted by product, city or country of origin. Find new international suppliers outside the United States.

Get tariff information for specific products and countries where Canada has a trade agreement.

Get your Tariff 101 questions answered, including what tariffs are, how they work, affects on the Canadian dollar and more.

An explainer from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business providing an overview of US tariffs, Canada’s response and an opportunity to feed into CFIB advocacy campaigns.

A long-form guide sharing strategies on cash flow, tariff-proofing, supply chain resilience and more.

Explore Canada’s free trade agreements, foreign investment promotion and protection agreements, plurilateral agreements and World Trade Organization agreements.

A long-form blueprint for improving Canada’s competitiveness and productivity, including perspectives on tax/regulatory changes, trade strategies and nation-building.

Are you a business looking to export or expand your business internationally, but not sure where to begin? This online tool helps companies at various stages of export readiness, by providing curated tips and a custom guide with resources offered by Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, and other organizations, to support them.

The OCC has created a 10-step resource to mitigate tariff impacts and stay competitive.

An online catalogue of products that are made in Ontario, including consumer products and business supplies.

An online catalogue of products that are made in Canada, including consumer products and business supplies.