Regional Tariff Response Initiative in British Columbia-Who can apply

2. Who can apply

You can apply for the Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) if your organization is one of the following:

• An incorporated for-profit business that:
  • is incorporated;
  • is staffed in British Columbia;
  • employs between 10 and 499 full-time employees;
  • has been in continuous and viable operation for at least 3 years leading up to March 21,2025; AND
  • has at least 2 complete years of externally prepared/reviewed financial statements
• A not-for-profit organization that supports small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

You, or the businesses you support, must:

• have been viable prior to the tariffs imposed by the U.S. and China, prior to March 21, 2025; AND
• at least 25%^{Footnote 1} of your 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

Eligible activities

Eligible activities focus on boosting productivity, driving growth, and diversifying markets for businesses and sectors affected by recent tariffs or countermeasures. Examples include:

• Investing in digitization, automation, and technology to enhance productivity and competitiveness
• Developing and expanding markets to help businesses find new customers
• Optimizing global supply chain logistics and ensuring compliance with standards to gain market access or enhance sales
• Strengthening domestic supply chains and facilitating internal trade to increase the resilience and competitiveness of businesses and the reliability of domestic markets
• Reshoring production, research and development operations, and recruiting highly qualified personnel and expertise

Eligible costs may be retroactive up to 12 months before applying, but cannot have been incurred before March 21, 2025.

Start and end dates may vary by project, but cannot start earlier than March 21, 2025 and must be completed no later than March 31, 2028.