Eligible farm businesses must be actively farming or own actively farmed land in Ontario, as demonstrated by:
A valid farm business registration number (FBRN)

OR

A Religious Exemption Letter provided by the OMAFRA Appeal Tribunal (include with application submission)

OR

A Cultural Exemption Letter provided by the First Nations Agriculture & Finance Ontario to First Nations farmers, verifying the farm business operates in a First Nations community (include with application submission)

OR

25 acres of land or more, assessed as ‘Farm’, as indicated by the most current Municipal Property Assessment Notice or Municipal Tax Bill in the name of the farm business (include with application submission)

OR

An income exemption from the Farm Property Class Tax Rate Program in the name of the farm business (include with application submission)

Applicants must also have a valid Premises Identification (PID) Number for the farm property where the proposed project will be completed. PID Numbers must be kept up to date. To update or obtain a PID Number, visit www.ontariopid.com or call 1-888-247-4999.

If an application is approved for a cost-share allocation, written confirmation will be provided from OSCIA by email (or by post, if no email address is provided). This approval letter will confirm:

• Any costs from the application that were deemed ineligible
• Eligible invoice dates, project completion and claim submission deadlines
• What is needed with the claim submission
• Instructions on how to verify participation in an eligible KSE
• Links to the necessary documents (e.g., Claim Form, Electronic Funds Transfer Form, Final Claim Questionnaire, etc.)
• Information on how to submit your claim

Each project must be complete, fully paid for, the practice implemented on new acres, and an eligible KSE completed before a claim is submitted.

As part of an eligible project, every claimed cost must be supported by an invoice in the name of the applicant farm business and one of the following proofs of payment:

• Copy of front and back of cancelled cheque
• Electronic image of processed cheque
• Statement from banking institution indicating to whom the processed cheque was written, or electronic payment made, and for what amount
• Credit card or debit card receipt clearly identifying amount and to whom the payment was made. Credit card or debit card numbers and other information, including costs that are unrelated to the project, should be blacked out.

Cash payments for project costs are strongly discouraged, as they may not meet requirements for proof of payment. If proof of payment is not provided, OSCIA cannot support the cost. OSCIA may request any additional information from the applicant that OSCIA deems necessary (e.g., copies of any audit reports, plans or permits obtained by the applicant in conducting the project) to support their claim.

Cost-share payments are made by electronic funds transfer (EFT) in the name of the legal farm business. All cost-share funding is considered taxable income to the farm business. OSCIA will issue a tax form (AGR-1) and report the amount paid to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA); this is why an applicant’s Social Insurance Number (SIN) is collected if the applicant does not have a CRA Business Number.