Federal grant · British Columbia

RTRI: up to $3M non-repayable for tariff-impacted BC businesses.

The Regional Tariff Response Initiative, delivered in BC by Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), helps businesses affected by tariffs manage liquidity pressures, strengthen competitiveness, diversify markets and build resilience.

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Status: accepting applications$3.45B national programLiquidity + pivot streamsApply for one or both

Funding streams

What RTRI can fund

Stream	Type	Maximum	Cost share	Timing
Liquidity assistance Day-to-day operations	Non-repayable	Up to $2M (based on demonstrated need)	Up to 50%	Up to 12 months, ending by Mar 31, 2028
Pivot projects Local/regional benefit	Non-repayable	Up to $1M	Up to 50%	Complete by Mar 31, 2029
Pivot projects — transformative Larger projects	Repayable	Over $1M	Up to 75%	Complete by Mar 31, 2029

Combined non-repayable maximum: $3M ($2M liquidity + $1M pivot). Total RTRI funding maximum: $20M per business.

Who's eligible

Business eligibility

✅ Incorporated, for-profit, located and operating in BC
✅ At least $1M annual revenue in one or both of the last two fiscal years
✅ Viable before tariffs
✅ Affected by trade disruptions — e.g. in a Section 232/338 tariff-impacted sector or supply chain, 25%+ of revenue from goods ultimately exported to the U.S., or hurt by tariff-driven costs, supply disruption or lost customers
✅ For liquidity: a demonstrated liquidity need caused by tariff impacts

Not-for-profits

BC not-for-profits whose primary focus is supporting businesses may apply for projects that help tariff-affected businesses.

Eligible activities

What the money covers

💧 Liquidity assistance

Employee salaries & wages, plus essential recurring costs like rent/lease, utilities, business insurance and property taxes.

🔄 Pivot projects

Productivity improvements, equipment & technology adoption, market diversification, supply-chain resilience and other competitiveness projects.

Generally not eligible: retail, local consumer services (e.g. hotels, restaurants, utilities, healthcare, recreation), and generally oil & gas extraction and construction services. Businesses under $1M revenue can contact PacifiCan about other options.

How UrbanPay helps

RTRI is not a simple relief form. Make your case count.

Applications are assessed on program criteria, demonstrated need and your proposed response to tariff impacts.

Eligibility check

Revenue, tariff exposure and stream fit — in one call.

Impact evidence

Quantify tariff effects on costs, revenue and customers.

Project & budget

Build a credible pivot plan and cost-shared budget.

Submission

Narrative, documents and follow-up support.