Government money for business arrives in intakes that open and close without much notice, and tax and corporate rules change on dates most owners hear about afterwards. Money for Business is a monthly update, published here on the first of each month, that lists what opened, what is closing, what changed, and the legal terms that come with the money — for Ontario owner-operators, professionals with corporations, and startups. Each item links to the official source.
One email on the first of each month: new grants and loans, intake deadlines, tax changes and the legal fine print for Ontario owner-operators and startups. Free. Unsubscribe any time.
Permanent link to the November 2026 edition →
| Date | What | For |
|---|---|---|
| November 3, 2026 | Eastern and Southwestern Ontario Development Funds open (to January 21, 2027) | Established businesses expanding in eastern or southwestern Ontario |
| November 5, 2026 | Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness stream closes; decisions targeted by February 3, 2027 | Advanced manufacturers |
| December 31, 2026 | Last day for non-eligible dividends to be received at the 2026 Ontario credit rate | Owner-managers of private corporations |
| January 1, 2027 | Ontario non-eligible dividend tax credit falls from 2.9863% to 1.9863% | Shareholders receiving non-eligible dividends |
| January 1, 2027 | Proposed ban on charging employees for uniforms takes effect, if Bill 105 passes | Employers with uniforms or branded attire |
| 2027 | Ontario beneficial ownership registry for private corporations | Every private Ontario corporation |
The next application window for both regional funds runs from November 3, 2026 to January 21, 2027. The eastern fund asks for at least three years of operations, at least 10 employees (5 in rural Ontario), at least 5 new jobs (or a 30% increase for companies under 15 employees) and a project investment of at least $500,000 ($200,000 in rural Ontario). Southwestern Ontario Development Fund money cannot be combined with other provincial programs.
The legal fine print: funding comes with job and investment targets, clawbacks and possible security. See what you are signing in an Ontario funding agreement. Sources: Eastern Ontario Development Fund; Southwestern Ontario Development Fund.
The current intake for advanced manufacturers closes November 5, 2026, with Ontario targeting funding decisions by February 3, 2027.
On August 24, 2026 Ontario broadened the Protect Ontario Financing Program — up to $1 billion in term loans for tariff-related working capital such as payroll, leases and utilities — to businesses hit by the new U.S. section 338 tariffs, and widened it again in September after the U.S. import ban on Canadian alcohol, dairy and motorcycles. The Ontario Together Trade Fund was opened to the same newly targeted sectors; it can cover up to 75% of eligible costs, to a maximum of $5 million, for projects that diversify markets, reshore supply chains or pivot production.
The legal fine print: both are delivered through agreements with reporting, audit and repayment terms, and the financing program limits stacking with other provincial programs. Sources: Protect Ontario Financing Program; Ontario Together Trade Fund.
Since April 13, 2026, ministries and broader public sector buyers must prefer Ontario businesses below set thresholds — for ministries, under $34,700 for goods and $139,000 for services — and Canadian businesses up to $368,000. Municipalities came under the capital infrastructure rules on May 15, 2026. A business qualifies if it operates permanently in Ontario and has its headquarters or main office here, or at least 250 full-time employees in Ontario. A Canadian subsidiary controlled by a U.S. company is usually treated as a U.S. business.
Read Buy Ontario for small suppliers. Source: Buy Ontario Procurement Directive.
Ontario's small business corporate tax rate fell from 3.2% to 2.2% on July 1, 2026, bringing the combined rate on the first $500,000 of active business income to 11.2%. To keep integration, the Ontario non-eligible dividend tax credit falls from 2.9863% to 1.9863% on January 1, 2027, raising the top combined rate on those dividends from 47.74% to 48.89%. Dividends are taxed when received, not when declared.
Read whether to pay dividends before 2027, including the director-liability rule that applies to every dividend. Source: PwC, 2026 Ontario budget tax highlights.
Ontario plans to amend the Corporations Information Act to create a registry for privately held business corporations in 2027. The register of individuals with significant control that every private OBCA corporation has had to keep since 2023 would be filed online. Read what changes and what to fix first.
Bill 105, the Protecting Ontario's Workers and Economic Resilience Act, 2026, would bar employers from making employees pay for uniforms, or for their repair or laundering, except in limited cases, from January 1, 2027. As of October 23, 2026 the bill had been ordered for third reading and was not yet law. Source: Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Bill 105.
Starter Company Plus offers grants of up to $5,000, with training and mentoring, to Ontario residents launching or expanding a small business, including owners buying an existing business; it runs through local Small Business Centres with their own intake dates. The Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network’s New Venture Creation program offers up to $50,000 to early-stage technology companies and requires the company to be incorporated. If incorporation is the next step, see incorporating a business in Ontario; for every federal and provincial program, use the government funding directory.
Compiled by Koby Smutylo, Smutylo Law+. Programs and rules change; check the linked official source before applying or acting. Last updated October 23, 2026.
Ontario's Eastern and Southwestern Ontario Development Funds open a new intake on November 3, 2026 (closing January 21, 2027); the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness stream closes November 5; the Protect Ontario Financing
A free monthly update from Smutylo Law+ for Ontario owner-operators and startups. It covers new and changed government grants and loans, application deadlines, tax and corporate-law changes, and the legal terms that come with the money. A new edition is published on this page on the first of each month and sent to email subscribers.
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It focuses on Ontario businesses and includes federal programs and rules that apply in Ontario. The government funding directory covers programs in every province and territory.
Koby Smutylo, a business lawyer called to the Bar of Ontario in 2001 and principal of Smutylo Law+. Each item links to the official source.
No. It is general information about public programs and rules. Eligibility and terms change; check the official source and get advice on your own situation before applying or acting.
November 3, 2026 to January 21, 2027. The Southwestern Ontario Development Fund has the same window.
The Protect Ontario Financing Program (working-capital loans) and the Ontario Together Trade Fund (grants or loans of up to $5 million) were broadened on August 24, 2026 and again in September 2026 to cover businesses hit by new U.S. tariffs and import bans.
The Ontario non-eligible dividend tax credit falls from 2.9863% to 1.9863% on January 1, 2027.
Ontario has said 2027. The legislation and regulations were not final as of October 2026.
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