Overview

The purpose of this Project Category is for Processors (including those who conduct primary processing activities, such as washing and packing) to identify and limit the introduction and spread of plant pests to decrease contamination risk to their business and the sector as a whole.

Definitions

Read the definitions to help you understand the terms used in these guidelines.

How to apply

  1. Read the guidelines on this page.
  2. Download and complete application form (PDF).
  3. Email your completed application to SustainableCAP3@ontario.ca.

Deadline

Applications will be accepted as of September 19, 2023 on an ongoing basis until no later than January 6, 2025, subject to the availability of funding allocated to the Initiative.

Schedule 7 — Project Category: technologies and processes to reduce plant pest contamination and risk

1. Purpose of Project Category

The purpose of this Project Category is for Processors (including those who conduct primary processing activities, such as washing and packing) to identify and limit the introduction and spread of plant pests to decrease contamination risk to their business and the sector as a whole.

2. Term of Project Category

See section 2 of the Guidelines.

3. Funding for Project Category

A Recipient is eligible to receive thirty-five percent (35%) of Eligible Costs up to a maximum of one-hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) per Project under this Project Category.

4. Operation of the Project Category

4.1 Eligible and ineligible activities under the Project Category

4.1.1 Eligible activities

The following activities are eligible under this Project Category for the sole purpose of decreasing pest risk to plant health:

  1. Purchasing select management, monitoring and diagnostic tools and equipment.
  2. Modifications or additions to existing structures to establish an anteroom or header house into high-risk areas.
  3. Modifications to existing structures to facilitate more efficient movement of plants and people to reduce plant health biosecurity risks.
  4. Establishing new or existing walkways, laneways or access routes to improve traffic flow efficiency and reduce contamination.
  5. Construction of hard surface pad or wash bay facility for cleaning and disinfecting vehicles and equipment outside a CAP (Controlled Access Point) or CAZ (Controlled Access Zone).
  6. Installation of specialized cleaning and disinfection equipment to limit the spread of plant pests.
  7. Purchasing plant hygiene or treatment equipment.
  8. Installation of a treatment system to remove pathogens, particulates, crop residue or contaminants from water.
  9. Construction or modification of a structure used only as a quarantine or isolation facility.
4.1.2 Ineligible activities

The following activities are ineligible under this Project Category:

  1. Routine maintenance of equipment, replacement of worn-out components.
  2. Modifications not relevant to improving biosecurity.
  3. Construction of new buildings, buildings not attached to existing production areas, or addition of an anteroom on a production facility built since April 1, 2023 (except for establishing a quarantine facility, as detailed under Eligible Activities).
  4. Warranties for equipment or components used for modification of equipment.
  5. Any other activity not set out under section 4.1.1. of this Schedule “7” of the Guidelines.

4.2 Eligible Costs and Ineligible Costs under the Project Category

4.2.1 Eligible Costs

The following costs are eligible for the purposes of the Initiative, provided they were reasonably incurred and necessary to complete the Recipient’s Project:

  1. Costs that were incurred after Project approval date but before the Project completion date.
  2. Costs that reflect the actual costs to the Recipient, less any costs, including taxes, for which the Recipient has received, will receive or is eligible to receive, a rebate, credit or refund.
  3. Deposits may be considered if they are made on or after September 19, 2023.
  4. Incremental salary and wages of the Recipients employees, excluding severance pay, who are working directly on the Project. Where those employees are not dedicated solely to working on the Project, the salaries and benefits must be pro-rated to reflect that portion of the salaries and benefits that apply to solely working on the Project.
  5. Management tools and equipment including:
    1. new technologies to reduce pest development and spread
    2. innovative pest mitigation technologies that reduce worker exposure and environmental risk
  6. Monitoring and diagnostic tools including:
    1. monitoring equipment to identify and limit the introduction and spread of plant pests (for example, optical sorters)
    2. pest modeling software
  7. Material costs, equipment rental costs and service fees to modify or add to existing structures in order to:
    1. establish an anteroom or header house into high-risk areas
    2. facilitate more efficient movement of plants and people to reduce plant health biosecurity risks
    3. reduce contamination by improving traffic flow efficiency through establishing new or existing walkways, laneways, and access routes
  8. Material costs, equipment rental costs and service fees to construct a hard surface (for example, concrete pad) or wash bay for cleaning and disinfecting vehicles and equipment within a CAZ (Controlled Access Zone) or at a CAP (Controlled Access Point), including:
    1. installation of sanitation facilities at CAPs or anterooms to higher risk areas, which must be part of a complete transition area for effective biosecurity
    2. replacing porous interior surfaces (for example, walls, flooring, dividers) with non-porous washable materials such as concrete, puck board or stainless steel
  9. Material costs, equipment rental costs and service fees to install specialized cleaning and disinfection equipment (for example, permanent footbaths, equipment to sterilize pots or beds) or modify existing equipment to increase cleaning and disinfection (for example, sterilization of existing conveyor belts).
  10. Purchase of plant hygiene or treatment equipment.
  11. Material costs, equipment rental costs and service fees to install a treatment system for the purpose of disinfecting or removing pathogens, particulate, crop residue or contaminants from water.
  12. Material costs, equipment rental costs and service fees to construct of a new structure used only as a quarantine or isolation facility or modification of an existing structure to be used only as a quarantine or isolation facility that reduces biosecurity risks identified in your biosecurity assessment:
    1. must have separate air space, controlled access point and be easily cleaned and disinfected
    2. includes modification of existing structures to create segregation areas for distinct cohorts (for example, new shipments) or between areas of high-risk and low-risk
4.2.2 Ineligible Costs

The following costs are ineligible for the purposes of the Initiative:

  1. Costs to apply to the Project Category.
  2. Costs that were incurred before the Project approval date and after the Project completion date.
  3. Costs to obtain goods, services or both, where those goods, services or both were not obtained from an entity operating at Arm’s Length from the Recipient.
  4. Costs related to the Recipient’s ordinary business operations (for example, day-to-day business operating expenses related directly to producing the goods or services sold by a business, to selling goods and services, costs of running a business).
  5. Deposits (prepayments) for which goods or services are not yet fully received.
  6. Transportation, meal and hotel costs.
  7. Costs related to submitting reports to the Ministry.
  8. Project costs that have already been claimed under other Project Categories.
  9. In-kind costs.
  10. Warranties for equipment or components used for modification of equipment.
  11. General clothing and equipment for use in the RAZ or CAP (for example, coveralls, boots, buckets, and brushes).
  12. Common items that can be used for multiple purposes (for example, smart phones, shovels, vehicles).
  13. Costs that are routine, ongoing, maintenance or operational.
  14. Modifications and repairs as part of routine maintenance (for example, replacing old surfaces with the same material, replacing or repairing doors, roofing, exterior walls, foundation or fencing).
  15. Ongoing consumables (for example, disposable coveralls, boot covers, gloves, masks, disinfectant, soap, bait).
  16. Fumigation/pesticide products.
  17. Any cost not for the sole purpose of decreasing biosecurity risk to plant health (for example, pesticide spills, hazardous waste, grain bin construction).
  18. Washers, dryers, furniture or equipment for transition area that are not directly related to biosecurity.
  19. Costs associated with contamination scenarios caused by the Recipient’s negligence or faulty practices.
  20. Consultant costs.
  21. Any other costs that are not set out under section 4.2.1 of this Schedule “7” of the Guidelines.

4.3 Eligibility requirements

To be eligible to participate in this Project Category, an Applicant will meet the following requirements:

  1. Be a Person that is a Processor (including washers and packers).
  2. Provide its:
    1. CRA BN, or
    2. SIN, but only if the Applicant has been found eligible to participate in the Initiative and is also eligible to receive an Initiative Payment
  3. Submit a completed Ministry-approved Application Form to the Ministry in accordance with what is set out under section 4.4 of the Guidelines.
  4. Is undertaking an activity set out in section 4.1.1 of this Schedule “7” of the Guidelines.
  5. Provide a completed operation-wide self-assessment or completed health or pest risk assessment.
  6. Provide a site sketch illustrating the Project, as applicable.
  7. Have a valid and up to date Premises ID Number for the business location(s) where the Project is to take place. (To register for or update a Premises ID Number, visit the Provincial Premises Registry).
  8. Be in compliance with the following for its business operations at the time of applying to the Initiative:
    1. environmental-related Requirements Of Law
    2. labour-related Requirements Of Law
    3. tax-related Requirements Of Law
    4. material compliance with all other Requirements Of Law
  9. Is not, nor is any officer, director or employee of the Applicant (if any), a current or former federal public office holder or federal public servant, or if the Applicant is, or any officer, director or employee of the Applicant (if any) is, the Applicant, or that officer, director or employee of the Applicant (if any) is in compliance with the Conflict of Interest Act (Canada), the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons (Canada), the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector (Canada) and the Policy on Conflict of Interest and Post-employment (Canada), as applicable.
  10. Is not, nor is any officer, director or employee of the Applicant (if any), a member of the House of Commons on the Senate, or, if the Applicant is, or any officer, director or employee of the Applicant (if any) is, the Applicant, or the officer, director or employee of the Applicant (if any), is permitted under the Parliament of Canada Act (Canada) to receive funding from Canada under the Sustainable CAP.
  11. Agrees that any intellectual property rights arising from their Project, should the Applicant be found to be eligible to participate in the Initiative as well as receive an Initiative Payment, belongs to the Applicant.
  12. Agrees that Canada and Ontario may, should the Applicant be found to be eligible to participate in the Initiative as well as receive an Initiative Payment, publish information about the Applicant, including:
    1. project-related information
    2. the Name of the Applicant
    3. the amount of funding Canada and Ontario provided
    4. the outcome of the Project
  13. Agrees to be bound by the terms, conditions and requirements of the Initiative, as set out in the Minister’s Order, the Guidelines and the Approval Letter.

4.4 Applying to the Project Category

See section 4.4 of the Guidelines.

4.5 Review of Application, evaluation criteria and notification

The Ministry will review the Application Form to determine whether the Applicant is eligible to participate in the Project Category. The Ministry will only review a completed Application Form. Incomplete Application Forms will not be accepted. Applicants will be notified if they submit an incomplete Application and receive an opportunity to resubmit.

Applications will be evaluated based on:

  • Impact of the Project on the risk of pest introduction or spread.
  • Preference will be given to Projects that are part of a complete plan developed in conjunction with, and resulting from, an assessment or evaluations performed by a qualified person.
  • Preference will be given to Projects that show the ability to measure and demonstrate efficacy outcomes of disinfection/isolation practices.

The Ministry will provide an Approval Letter via Email to successful Applicants. The Approval Letter will include the following:

  1. a file number, which the Ministry uses to refer to the specific Project
  2. the Project description
  3. the maximum amount of Funds and cost shared percentage approved
  4. the Eligible Costs
  5. the date the Recipient is required to complete its Project
  6. the Claim submission deadline
  7. the final report submission information including deadline

The Ministry will provide an email to unsuccessful Applicants setting out a brief explanation of why they were not approved to participate in the Initiative.