RTRI 2026: What Southern Ontario Businesses Need to Know

The Regional Tariff Response Initiative can help eligible southern Ontario businesses manage tariff-related cash pressure and invest in a more resilient operation. The first decision is whether your business needs temporary liquidity assistance, a defined pivot project, or both. Each request needs a clear connection between the trade disruption, its effect on the business and the support being sought.

The enhanced program deserves a fresh review. A business that looked at RTRI under an earlier set of rules should check the current guidance before reusing a budget or assuming that its earlier conclusion still applies.

Two different funding needs

Liquidity assistance addresses short-term pressure on operations and employment. FedDev Ontario currently describes non-repayable assistance of up to $2 million, covering up to 50% of eligible costs for a period of up to 12 months ending no later than March 31, 2028.

Pivot funding supports changes that improve competitiveness or reduce future trade exposure. A qualifying project with local or regional economic benefits may receive up to $1 million in non-repayable funding at up to 50% of eligible costs. Larger transformative projects may qualify for repayable support at up to 75%. Pivot projects must finish by March 31, 2029. The combined non-repayable ceiling is $3 million; total RTRI support can reach $20 million when repayable funding is included. These are program limits, not an entitlement. Check the current funding overview.

Who should assess eligibility?

For the business stream in southern Ontario, the applicant must be an incorporated for-profit business operating in the region, with at least $1 million in annual revenue in one of its last two fiscal years and evidence of viability before tariffs. The business must also demonstrate direct or indirect tariff exposure. Review the applicant criteria.

A supplier to an affected exporter should not rule itself out simply because it does not ship directly across the border. Equally, operating in a manufacturing sector does not by itself establish an eligible impact. The assessment starts with what changed at the applicant business and what records support that change.

Build the request from the financial need

For liquidity, begin with a cash-flow forecast and eligible payroll records. Explain the shortfall, the period it covers and how the support would help maintain operations and employment. FedDev Ontario’s FAQ says the amount will not exceed demonstrated need or the $2 million cap and may be adjusted for other public assistance. A pivot project is not required to request liquidity assistance. Read the liquidity FAQ.

For a pivot project, define the operating change before choosing a funding amount. Replacing a vulnerable input, automating a bottleneck or entering a different market involves different costs, milestones and measures of success. A useful project description explains the starting point, the activity, the expected improvement and how that improvement will be measured.

Keep impact evidence separate from eligible expenses

A tariff invoice can help demonstrate harm without being an expense the program will reimburse. The application guide expressly excludes tariffs and customs duties from eligible liquidity operating costs. It also prevents the same labour cost from appearing in both a liquidity request and a pivot budget. Check the application guide.

Organize the supporting file around four questions: What changed? What did it cost or threaten? What response is proposed? How will the business finance and deliver that response? Keep actual results separate from forecasts, and identify the status of every other funding source.

A practical starting point

Gather the financial statements, tariff-impact records, payroll information where relevant, and a clear outline of the proposed project. Resolve differences between the legal applicant, operating locations and figures used in the narrative before completing the form. A coherent evidence file makes the request easier to assess and reduces avoidable follow-up.

For a closer look at the evidence itself, read How to Prove Tariff Impact Without Overclaiming It. Grantuity’s funding advisory services can help connect the business situation, supporting records and proposed response before an application is submitted.

Editorial archive date: September 24, 2026. First published and fact-checked September 26, 2026. Program terms can change; consult the linked official guidance before applying. Cover image is an AI-generated illustration.