PROGRAM CRITERIA

ELIGIBLE ACTIVITY

Eligible activities should support the reopening, rebuilding and revival of the business, such as:

• Acquisition of required/mandated Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
• Workspace reconfiguration to accommodate physical distancing
• Hardware/software upgrades to enhance online capacity, client servicing and accessibility

Selected projects will be eligible for a one-time non-repayable performance-based contribution up to $5,000 on eligible expenses net of HST. The minimum supported project will not normally be less than $3,000. Upon request, an initial contribution advance will be considered to support eligible activity and pending the execution of an approved project Contribution Agreement. All projects will be subject to a 20% hold back until completion of the project and all Contribution Agreement requirements are met.

The WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation is delivering the program across the Western Ontario region. Northumberland CFDC is delivering the program across the Eastern Ontario region. Please visit their website to apply if your business is located in a municipality outside of the Western Ontario region.

Western Ontario is defined to include the following Statistics Canada census divisions: Brant; Bruce; Chatham-Kent;  Dufferin; Elgin; Essex; Grey; Haldimand-Norfolk; Hamilton; Huron; Lambton; Middlesex; Niagara; Oxford; Perth; Simcoe; Waterloo; Wellington; Durham; Halton; Peel; Toronto; and York.

Eastern Ontario is defined to include the following Statistics Canada census divisions: Frontenac (includes the City of Kingston); Haliburton; Hastings; Kawartha Lakes; Lanark; Leeds and Grenville; Lennox and Addington; Northumberland; Ottawa; Peterborough; Prescott and Russell; Prince Edward; Renfrew; and, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.

Eligible recipients include private, for profit Women-led SMEs located in Southern Ontario.

UPDATE: Available funding for the following geographic regions is currently exhausted: Essex, Dufferin, Grey, Lambton, Bruce, Oxford, Chatham-Kent, Elgin, Huron, Wellington, Haldimand-Norfolk, Waterloo, Niagara, Brant and Perth. Businesses located in those areas are welcome to apply for the RE3 program, but their applications will be held in queue should more funding be approved.

WHAT QUALIFIES AS "WOMEN-LED" FOR THE PURPOSES OF APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY?

A woman is, or women are, driving the direction of the business (for a minimum of one year) as Founder, Co-Founder, CEO or C-Suite Executive (e.g. CTO, CFO, COO, etc.); and/or the business is owned by a woman or women (combined) that have majority ownership (a minimum of 51% equity stake).

WHAT TYPE OF WOMEN-LED SMES QUALIFY FOR THE PURPOSES OF APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY?

Projects in the following priority segments will be considered:

• Small retail 
• Sole proprietor
• Personal service industry

ELIGIBLE COSTS

Eligible costs for project activities may include:

• Capital
• Non-Capital
• Expertise

All costs must be reasonable and directly related to the eligible project activities.

Ineligible and/or unsupported costs include, but are not limited to:

• Any costs deemed not reasonable and/or not directly related to the eligible project activities
• Cost incurred prior to the eligibility date or after the project end date as defined in the Project Contribution Agreement
• Labour
• Acquisition of land or buildings
• Acquisition of vehicles
• Cost associated with entertainment
• Disposable masks and gloves
• Mortgage and loan payments
• Refinancing an existing debt
• Franchise fees and license costs
• Costs of intangible assets such as goodwill, whether capitalized or expensed
• Depreciation or amortization expenses
• Interest on invested capital, bonds, or debentures
• Bond discount
• Losses on investments, bad debts and any other debts
• Fines or penalties
• Costs related to litigation
• Fees for administrators, including payments to any member or officer of the Recipient’s Board of Directors
• Opportunity costs
• Lobbyist fees
• New capital expenditures

The costs of all goods and services acquired from an entity which, in the opinion of the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation (WE EDC), is not at arm's length from the Recipient, shall be valued at the cost which, in the opinion of WE EDC, represents the fair market value of such goods or services, which cost shall not include any mark up for profit or return on investment.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Eligible recipients will be required to provide Progress/Activity Reports on a monthly basis, and a Final Project Report and financial claim at project end or as required and outlined in the Contribution Agreement with WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation or projects within the Western Ontario region and to the Northumberland CFDC for projects within the Eastern Ontario region.