Agricultural Workforce Equity and Diversity Initiative

Who can apply

Applicants

You must be one of the following:

1. an industry organization
2. a research body
3. a municipality
4. an Indigenous community
5. an Indigenous government

Projects

Projects must serve at least one underrepresented group, including:

1. Indigenous communities/governments
2. youth
3. women
4. visible minorities
5. 2SLGBTQI+ people
6. persons with disabilities
7. members of English and French linguistic minority communities

Projects must also support one of the following:

1. address barriers to financing
2. provide access to equipment
3. provide access to spaces (such as greenhouse space, vertical farming space or land to grow and/or process agri-food products)

Supporting activities, such as development/delivery of training, mentoring, analysis, promotion, cannot be stand-alone projects.

For this Initiative, Primary Producers or Processors in Underrepresented Groups who wish to enter the agri-food sector, or who own agri-food businesses with majority ownership (51% or more) and have entered the agri-food sector within the preceding five (5) years are considered eligible Ultimate Beneficiaries.

To be eligible to participate in the Initiative, an Applicant will meet the following

requirements:

(a) Be a Person that is:

1. An Industry Organization including non-profit and for-profit

associations of Primary Producers, Processors and other entities involved in the agri-food sector such as chambers of commerce, food hubs, incubators, farm groups and cooperatives,

1. A Research Body including institutions such as universities and

colleges, non-profit agriculture-based academic institutions, Indigenous institutes, and research centres, (iii) A Municipality, or (iv) An Indigenous Community or Indigenous Government is defined to only include paragraphs (c) to (g) of the definition for “Indigenous Persons”, unless those paragraphs reference paragraphs (a) or (b), in which case the requirements set out in paragraphs (a) or (b) will, as the case may be, apply. By way of example only, paragraph (c) of the definition for “Indigenous Persons” refers to paragraphs (a) and (b). As such, for an entity to fall under paragraph (c), that entity must meet the requirements set out under paragraph (a) or (b);

(b) Provide, if applicable, 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;

1. Submit a completed Ministry-approved Application Form to the Ministry in

accordance with what is set out under section 4.4 of the Guidelines;

1. Is undertaking an activity set out in section 4.1.1 of the Guidelines;
2. 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,

(iii) Tax-related Requirements Of Law, and

1. Material compliance with all other Requirements Of Law;
2. 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;

1. 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;

1. 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;

1. 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, and

(iv) The outcome of the Project; and

1. 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.

Not eligible:

4.1.2. Ineligible Activities

The following activities are ineligible under the Initiative

Projects that include only research

Projects and activities that support or benefit a single business or individual

Activities related to aquaponic food production, or to aquaculture, seaweed

fish and seafood production and processing (except international marketing and traceability activities for fish and seafood); and

Any activity that is not set out under section 4.1.1 of the Guidelines is an

ineligible activity under the Initiative