Government of Canada Invests $4 Million In Green Manufacturing Initiative to Boost Economic Growth
Canada’s green manufacturing initiative has pledged to innovate its sector in revolutionary ways for the future. Canadians across the country have sought green products and processes for many years now. On December 21, 2022, the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) announced an investment of up to $4 million for the Yves Landry Foundation (YLF) to deliver the Achieving Innovation and Manufacturing Excellence Green Initiative (AIME Green). The government’s investment is a reflection of its commitment to supporting local Canadian businesses in their journey to becoming more sustainable and creating new jobs.
Last December, Iqwinder Gaheer, member of Parliament for Mississauga-Malton on behalf of the Honourable Filomena Tassi, the Minister for the FedDev Ontario announced the investment to AIME Green. The goal of the AIME Green initiative is to support southern Ontario’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector.
In order to do so, the SMEs can receive up to $100,000 from FedDev Ontario and YLF to diligently train their workforce on how to adopt green manufacturing techniques. The SMEs that are eligible for financial support will have complete access to tailor-made training solutions that focus on new, green technology and procedures or access to leaders that are experts in green innovation to train them.
The non-repayable grant allows SMEs to receive up to 25-50% of eligible training expenses to a maximum of $100,000 grant contribution. For first time applicants, it’s 50% of eligible costs and for applicants that have received funding more than 24 months ago, they have 25% of eligible costs. Ontario manufacturers with 10-1000 employees are eligible to apply for the grant, their business also must be at least three years old with financial stability and demonstrate adoption of green technologies or processes. There is a two-stage application process and training can begin once the application is approved. Funding is also allocated upon training completion and after final reporting.
“When we invest in Canadian manufacturers and the organizations that support them, like the Yves Landry Foundation, we increase Canada’s potential and grow the economy. Today’s investment will bolster Canada’s path to be a global leader in cleaner and greener manufacturing while creating good jobs across southern Ontario ” said Honourable Tassi.
YLF is committed to supporting 36 SMEs, creating 400 jobs, and maintaining 1,050 jobs through this initiative. The not-for-profit Canadian charitable organization was established by Canada’s manufacturing and business sectors in 1998 to move the education and skills of the sector forward and address skilled labour issues and shortages facing this industry. Previously, the YLF AIME program focused on supporting Canadian manufacturers domestically and globally. The program now solely focuses on supporting Canadian manufacturers that sell globally.
In 2017, FedDev Ontario invested over $40 million into YLF which resulted in the support of over 675 manufacturing businesses and 9,300 jobs created. Green manufacturing is dedicated to the production of products and processes that cut back on harmful environmental materials, conserve energy and natural resources, and utilize environmentally-friendly solutions that are safe for consumers, employers, and communities.