Ottawa just added $500M to help Canadian businesses adopt AI. Contributions run from $125K to $5M ($200K min in BC). To get one, you need to show exactly what you’ll do, in what order, and what it will change in your business. We build that plan with you in weeks, help you apply, and stay with you through delivery.
Southern Ontario: early deadline November 24, 2026Atlantic Canada: closes November 20, 2026British Columbia: closes November 23, 2026
Company name, employee count, financial statements. That takes an afternoon.
Then the application asks you to describe your project plan, step by step. Your objectives. The measurable results you’ll report on. A budget split by fiscal year and cost category. A responsible AI approach with human oversight and cybersecurity built in.
That’s a digital strategy roadmap. Most owner-led businesses don’t have one, because nobody ever needed it before. Without it, the application reads like a wish list, and the agency reviewing it has seen hundreds of those.
The other trap: AI has to be the point of the project. A general systems upgrade with “AI” in the title won’t get far. The work has to show how AI changes productivity, competitiveness or resilience in your business, and what has to be in place first so it actually works.
You can’t fund a plan you haven’t made.
We assess where your business actually is with our Scrappy to Leading™ framework and AI readiness tools, then build the roadmap the application stands on: what you'll do, in what order, and why that order.
Who it’s for: Every applicant. This is the core of the application.
Business objectives tied to the AI project, with KPIs you can measure and report on. The agency tracks these during the project, so they have to be real, not aspirational.
Who it’s for: Companies that know what they want AI to fix but haven't put numbers on it.
A project budget split by fiscal year and cost category, mapped to what the program considers eligible, including the advisory fees that can be part of the funded project.
Who it’s for: Owners who've never had to defend a budget line to a government reviewer.
Policies and procedures for how you collect, store, protect and share sensitive data, aligned with PIPEDA and provincial privacy law. In BC, the supplementary questionnaire asks for this directly.
Who it’s for: Companies handling customer or employee data without written rules for it. Which is most of them.
An AI use policy, a simple review process for higher-risk uses, and a clear model for human oversight, aligned with Canada's Voluntary Code of Conduct for generative AI. Sized for your business, not for an enterprise ethics committee.
Who it’s for: Companies whose team already uses AI tools with no rules around them.
A cybersecurity assessment and the baseline controls an AI project needs before it touches your data. The application expects security built in, not bolted on.
Who it’s for: Companies that can't say with confidence who has access to what.
Funding approved is where the real work starts. We guide selection of technology and partners, oversee delivery against the plan, and keep the agency reporting on track. No software to sell, no vendor commissions.
Who it’s for: Companies that want someone on their side of the table once the vendors show up.
Seven questions. You’ll see right away whether it’s worth a conversation, and which deadline applies to you.
Last checked October 18, 2026. Programs can close early when funding is committed.
| Region | Agency | Status | Key dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Ontario | FedDev Ontario | Open | Nov 24, 2026 if your project starts before Mar 31, 2027 · Final deadline Jan 19, 2027 |
| Atlantic Canada | ACOA | Call for proposals | Closes Nov 20, 2026 · Projects $1M+ |
| British Columbia | PacifiCan | Open | First intake for projects starting before Mar 31, 2027 |
| Prairies | PrairiesCan | Open, continuous | Expression of interest first |
| Quebec | CED | Open, ongoing | No fixed deadline |
| Northern Ontario | FedNor | Open, continuous | Assessed as received |
| Yukon, NWT, Nunavut | CanNor | Open | Projects starting in 2026–27 |
Plenty of firms will help you fill in a funding application. The question is what goes into it. We work only with owner-led businesses, and every engagement starts with where your company actually is, not where a template says it should be. That’s how the plan ends up matching what your team can absorb, and why it still makes sense once the money arrives.
We’re independent. No software to sell, no vendor commissions. When we recommend a technology, it’s because it fits your stage.
Not for businesses. It’s a repayable contribution, interest-free, with repayment normally starting after the project is complete. Not-for-profits may qualify for non-repayable funding.
Generally $125K to $5M, covering up to 50% of eligible project costs. In BC the minimum is $200K. Amounts and rules vary by region.
In several regions, yes: professional and advisory services are listed as eligible costs, and AI readiness assessments are an eligible activity in Southern Ontario. Preparing the application itself is not reimbursable. We’ll tell you exactly what applies in your region.
In some regions, project costs from up to 12 months before the application can be eligible. In others, like Quebec, costs only count from the day you apply. Timing matters, so talk to us before you start.
We write them with you, and we help you put them in place. The application asks whether you have these measures and how they're implemented. A policy written the week before the deadline that nobody follows is a weak answer. And you need these policies anyway, funded or not.
No, and nobody honest can. The program is competitive. What we guarantee is a plan and an application that make the strongest possible case for your project.
No. We help you choose the right partners and oversee delivery on your behalf. That independence is the point.
No. Axsion is an independent advisory firm. The program is delivered by Canada’s regional development agencies, and you apply directly to them.
Two things. The matching funds have to be yours, confirmed with bank statements, a line of credit or signed financing. And if your project is commercializing a technology you've developed, the technical questionnaire on IP and technology readiness is yours to answer. We work with companies adopting AI, not building it.
Thirty minutes. No pitch. We’ll tell you honestly whether RAII makes sense for you, and what it would take.
Book a 30-min ConsultationProgram information is summarized from public Government of Canada sources and was accurate as of October 18, 2026. Eligibility, amounts and deadlines are set by each regional development agency and may change. Axsion Digital Evolution is not affiliated with the Government of Canada.