The following companies/organizations are Investors of the Cape Breton Partnership and offer services specific to business development.

Mi’kmaw Economic Benefits Office

The mandate of the Mi’kmaw Economic Benefits Office (MEBO) is to maximize the employment and contract opportunities for indigenous community members in Unama’ki (Cape Breton).  We achieve this by continually expanding our broad network of industry partners across all sectors. MEBO supports the growth of businesses as well as aspiring entrepreneurs in the establishment of new businesses. We can help with: providing training workshops assistance preparing funding applications business plan development

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Alex Paul

201 Churchill Dr Suite 201, Membertou, NS B1S 0H1

902-562-4700

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Micro-Loan Program

Under the Micro-Loan Program, women+ entrepreneurs from across Unama’ki – Cape Breton will be eligible to apply for a loan of up to $10,000. The Micro-Loan Program is made possible by the partnership and participation of the Cape Breton Partnership, Sydney Credit Union, East Coast Credit Union, Cape Breton Regional Chamber of Commerce, Strait Area Chamber of Commerce, Centre for Women in Business, and Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development.

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902-562-0122

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Sydney Credit Union

We are a financial cooperative committed to providing programs and services which enhance the economic and social well being of our members and our community. As a Sydney Credit Union member, you have access to a complete and competitive line of financial products and services – and the convenience of our three full service branches, one in Sydney, one in Sydney River and now one in Whitney Pier. We offer personal and commercial loans, mortgages, chequing and savings accounts, MasterCard® products including CHOICE REWARDS®, RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs, GICs, Internet and telephone banking, and several money savings package plans, suited to meet your financial needs.

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95 Townsend St. Sydney, NS B1P 6K3

(902) 562-5593

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Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia (TIANS)

TIANS prides themselves as the champion of advocacy for tourism issues in Nova Scotia. By listening to their members, TIANS is fiercely working on their behalf with a passion for the tourism industry, sincere compassion for their well-being and the desire to advance change. In working with their partner associations and stakeholders, they ensure that they are involved in the development of the tourism industry at the regional, provincial, and national levels.

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2089 Maitland Street Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K 2Z8

902-423-4480

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Canada Digital Adoption Program

In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada announced the $4 billion Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) to help get your business online, give your e-commerce presence a boost or help digitalize your business’s operations.

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C.D. Howe Building 235 Queen Street, 4th Floor Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H5

1-800-328-6189

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Canada Green Corps Program

If your business or non-profit organization is looking to reduce its environmental footprint or increase sustainability, you can apply for a wage subsidy to hire an eligible youth. Eligible employers must:   Offer meaningful work experience Offer a 4 to 6 month term Pay a portion of the youth’s salary   Eligible participants must: Be between 18 and 30 years of age Be legally entitled to work in Canada Not be a full-time student or co-op student

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(613) 232-5751

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Canada Media Fund Programs (Excluding Export Programs)

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) fosters, promotes, develops and finances the production of Canadian content and relevant applications for all audiovisual media platforms. Streams of funding include: Convergent Steam – supports the creation of convergent television and digital media content for consumption by Canadians Development Program – allocates funding to projects at the development stage Experimental Stream – encourages the development of innovative, interactive digital media content and software application

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Susy MacGillivray

902-426-8425 (ext 2724)

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Canada Small Business Financing Program

July 2022 update: The amendments to the Canada Small Business Financing Regulations and Canada Small Business Financing Act came into force on July 4, 2022. They provide lenders and small businesses with additional financing products, new class of loans, increased loan amounts and terms, improved loan conditions and decreased administrative burden. Financial institutions are currently in the process of rolling out these changes to start offering all of the enhanced features shortly. The Canada Small Business Financing Program makes it easier for small businesses to get loans from financial institutions by sharing the risk with lenders. Term loans can be used to finance the following costs: purchase or improvement of land or buildings used for commercial purposes purchase or improvement of new or used equipment purchase of new or existing leasehold improvements, that is, renovations to a leased property by a tenant intangible assets and working capital costs Lines of credit can be used to pay for working capital costs, that is, day-to-day operating expenses of the business. The maximum loan amount for any one borrower is $1.15 million. Contact your nearest lending agency, or agency of choice to learn more: Credit Unions East Coast Credit Union Limited 1168 East Margaree Road Margaree NS St. Joseph’s Credit Union 3552 Highway 206 Petit De Grat NS New Waterford Credit Union 3462 Plummer Avenue New Waterford NS Sydney Credit Union 95 Townsend Street P.O. Box 1386 Sydney NS Bank of Montreal 37 Union Street Glace Bay NS Bank of Nova Scotia 765 Main Street Sydney Mines NS 299 Commercial Street P.O. Box 40 North Sydney Ns 125 Commercial Street Glace Bay NS 634 Reeves Street Unit 18 Port Hawkesbury NS Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce 11 Keltic Drive Sydney River NS 15 Dorchester St. Sydney NS Toronto Dominion Bank 292 Charlotte Street Sydney NS

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Canadian Agricultural Loans Act Program

The Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA) Program is a loan guarantee program designed to increase the availability of loans to farmers and agricultural co-operatives. Farmers can use these loans to establish, improve, and develop farms, while agricultural co-operatives may also access loans to process, distribute, or market the products of farming. Under the CALA, the federal government guarantees, to the lender, repayment of 95% of a net loss on an eligible loan issued. The maximum aggregate loan limit for any one farm operation is $500,000. Loans are limited to a maximum of:

$500,000 for the purchase of land and the construction or improvement of buildings
$350,000 for all other loan purposes, including consolidation/refinancing

Apply directly through your lending institution. Other conditions apply.

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1-866-367-8506

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Canadian Heritage – Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages

Your incorporated private business or non-profit organization may be eligible for a wage subsidy to hire a bilingual summer student. To be eligible you must:   Offer 30-40 hours a week of work for a period of 6-16 weeks Conduct activities in both official languages   Once enrolled, you will have access to a pool of talented and innovative youth.

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1-800-935-5555

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Canadian International Innovation Program

The Canadian International Innovation Program (CIIP) supports Canadian companies to pursue international research and development (R&D) collaboration with a foreign partner on projects that have the potential for commercialization. CIIP can help you find R&D partnerships in: Brazil China India Israel South Korea Who Can Apply? Canadian companies that are: incorporated, for-profit small or medium-sized enterprise seeking to develop new or improved products, services, or processes with a high potential for commercialization ready to collaborate on a R&D project with a foreign partners

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Christine Smith

902-426-6660

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Canadian Signature Experiences

Co-managed by Destination Canada (DC) and thirteen provincial/territorial marketing organizations (PMOs) across Canada, the Canadian Signature Experiences (CSE) program features a collection of visitor experiences that are best aligned to deliver internationally on the Canada Keep Exploring brand promise and drive international sales to Canadian tourism businesses. Destination Canada and Tourism Nova Scotia (TNS) will integrate the CSE collection into respective travel trade, marketing and media initiatives to raise awareness of Nova Scotia’s CSEs where it is advantageous to do so.

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Heather Yule

Manager, Experience Development

902-471-5304

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CanExport

Both the CanExport SMEs and CanExport Innovation programs will be initiating an administrative pause on October 18, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. EDT. The programs will not be accepting applications for fiscal year 2022-23 after this time and are not yet open for fiscal year 2023-24. Please visit the CanExport web page for details on when the programs will resume.    

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Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design – Consultant Services

Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design (CBCCD) may engage the services of a consultant to enhance the skills and/ or capacity of craft producers needed to establish, maintain or grow their businesses. The level of non-repayable assistance will normally be up to 75% of the cost to a maximum of $5000. Eligible services may include but are not limited to: Business Assessment Business Plan Development Export Development plan Lean Manufacturing International Trade Development Marketing Plan

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Stephanie Dupuis

322 Charlotte Street, Sydney

902-539-7491 (ext 115)

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