Regional Tariff Response Initiative in British Columbia-After you apply

4. After you apply

Prioritization

In addition to prioritizing applications received by October 15, 2025, applications that meet as many of the following criteria as possible will be prioritized (where the more criteria met, the higher the prioritization):

• Demonstrate capacity and readiness, and commits to completing a significant portion of project activities by March 31, 2026, and completing the entire project by March 31, 2028
• Export value-added products internationally and/or to other provinces
• Demonstrate or provide strongest evidence for the eligibility requirements:
  • at least 25%^{Footnote 1} of sales are to the U.S. and/or China; OR
  • have been affected or have a high likelihood of being affected by ongoing trade disruptions, including new U.S. and China tariffs or Canadian countermeasures
  • are able to report actual losses
• Demonstrate past and potential future growth as indicated by an increase in revenue, particularly from exports, and profits, jobs, customers etc.
• Are from Canadian-owned applicants (i.e., more than 50% Canadian ownership)
• Have confirmed non-PacifiCan contribution that exceeds the minimum required:
  • for businesses seeking repayable funding this means non-PacifiCan financial support for more than 25% of their proposal’s total eligible costs
  • for businesses seeking non-repayable funding this means non-PacifiCan financial support for more than 50% of their proposal’s total eligible costs
  • for not-for-profits this means non-PacifiCan financial support for more than 10% of their proposal’s total eligible costs
• Have confirmed funding from combined non-government sources (federal, provincial, municipal) that exceeds the minimum required:
  • for businesses and not-for-profits this means non-government financial support for more than 10% of their proposal’s total eligible costs

Proposals from businesses seeking non-repayable funding for commercial projects may be prioritized if they are part of these industries^{Footnote 2}:

• Forestry
• Metal
• Machinery and Equipment
• Agriculture and seafood

Assessment

We assess applications based on these criteria and according to priorities described above:

• eligibility for the Regional Tariff Response Initiative
  • business viability and overall performance prior to the impact of tariffs
  • impact or likelihood of tariff impact
• a clear and viable project/business plan
  • clear articulation of opportunities for future growth
• alignment with PacifiCan or Government of Canada priorities
  • consideration and use of Canadian inputs (the Government of Canada will introduce a new Buy Canadian Policy to support Canadian industries; applicants are required to share their consideration in using Canadian technologies and products in their applications)
  • expansion of inter-provincial trade and supply chains
  • expansion and diversification of export markets
• clear economic benefits for British Columbia and Canada, with a focus on:
  • productivity enhancement and cost reduction
  • market diversification (domestic and international)
  • supply chain improvements (domestic and international)
  • value for money
• financial capacity
• management capability
• market demand and performance
• technology readiness (if applicable to the project)

For proposals that involve new technological innovations, a technical assessment may be done by the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), or by another external party contracted by PacifiCan.