Wine Sector Support Program: Step 5. Complete the application and apply

Step 5. Complete the application and apply

Complete each section of the application form. All mandatory fields (marked with an asterisk [*]) on the form must be completed.

Note: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) uses the information you give in the application form to confirm your organization's identity and to assess your organization's eligibility for funding.

How to complete the application form

1. Applicant information

Select if you are a new applicant or a returning applicant:

  • Select 'I am a new applicant' if this is your organization's first time applying to the program.
  • Select 'I am a returning applicant' if your organization applied to the program in the 2022-23 fiscal year. Returning applicants should also enter their 8 digit PIN (identifier) provided by the program in the 2022-23 fiscal year, if known.
Organization type

Select the applicable organization type from the six (6) options provided. Important note: your selection must match the entity type that is associated with your organization's Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number or trust number.

  • Corporation (For-Profit)
  • Co-operative (For-Profit)
  • Sole proprietorship (For-Profit)
  • Partnership (For-Profit)
  • Trust (For-Profit)
  • Academic institution (Not-For-Profit)
Legal name of your organization

Enter your organization's legal name as it appears in legal documents, such as articles of incorporation, certificate of incorporation, etc.

"Operating as" organization name

Enter the name under which your organization operates, if that name is different from its legal name.

CRA business number

Enter the first nine (9) digits of your organization's 15-digit CRA business number (example: 123456789 RR 0001).

For more information, visit Business number (CRA).

Trust number

If you are a For-Profit Trust, enter your organization's CRA trust number. A CRA issued trust number is an 8-digit number that gives each registered trust its own unique identifier.

Contact information for applicant

Enter the complete address of the physical location of your organization's headquarters. Include the:

  • street number and name (or PO box)
  • additional address information on Address Line 2 (if applicable)
  • town/city
  • province/territory
  • postal code
Mailing address (optional)

Select the checkbox if your organization's mailing address is different from the physical location of its headquarters.

Enter mailing address details in the fields that appear.

Organizational capacity

Select one (1) of the three (3) options provided to indicate the number of employees that work for the organization. Include the number of all full-time and part-time employees on your organization's payroll. Do not include contractors.

2. Production information

Information in this section will be used to determine your total litres of eligible wine.

For the period from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, please provide the amount of bulk wine (such as, grape wine, other fruit wines, sake and/or other primary agricultural product-based wines) your organization produced in Canada using domestic and/or imported primary agricultural product(s) (for example, grapes, berries, other fruit, dandelions, rice, sap) that you grew, produced or otherwise owned.

Don't include any of the following ineligible wine products in your application:

  • wine products produced from 100% fermented Canadian apples (for example, apple ciders not fermented with any other primary agricultural product)
  • wine products produced from 100% fermented Canadian honey (for example, mead not fermented with any other primary agricultural product)
  • wine products produced with processed inputs (that is, juice, concentrate, syrup or must) not immediately originating from a primary agricultural product(s) grown, produced or otherwise you own. For example, you purchased juice to be fermented into wine, without having owned the source primary agricultural product (for example, grapes). The resultant wine product is not eligible under the program.
  • wine products produced from pomace and/or piquette
  • wine products that were produced before April 1, 2022
  • wine products you packaged, but did not produce
  • wine products that have an excise duty exemption available beyond June 30, 2022
Table 1: Wine produced directly by applicant

Enter the total litres of eligible wine your organization produced directly, including wine produced for other licensed wineries in Canada.

Do not include wine your organization contracted out for production to other licensed wineries in Canada. If one of the wine product categories is not applicable, enter a zero (0) in the field.

Table 2: Wine produced directly by applicant for other licensed wineries in Canada

Enter the total litres of eligible wine your organization produced directly for other licensed wineries in Canada.

You must provide the name of the organization(s) for which you produced wine. If one of the wine product categories is not applicable, enter a zero (0) in the field.

To add additional rows, select the plus () on the right of the table. If this section is not applicable, check the 'Not applicable' box.

  • Only include wine for which a contract/agreement was in place between you and the other licensed winery to have your organization produce wine on behalf of the other licensed winery.
  • Don't include bulk wine that you produced and sold without a prior contract/agreement in place with the buyer.
Table 3: Applicant's wine contracted out for production

Enter the total litres of eligible wine that your organization owned and contracted out for production to other licensed wineries in Canada.

You must provide the name of the organization(s) that produced the wine for you. If one of the wine categories is not applicable, enter a zero (0) in the field.

To add additional rows, select the plus () button. If this section is not applicable, check the 'Not applicable' box.

  • Only include wine for which a contract/agreement was in place between you and the other licensed winery to have the other licensed winery produce wine on your organization's behalf
  • Don't include bulk wine that you purchased without a prior contract/agreement in place with the seller

Read the declarations carefully, and check the two (2) mandatory checkboxes if you understand and agree.

3. Attachments

Applications will be assessed on all eligibility criteria.

You must provide the following information with your application, to support your organization's eligibility and to verify the total litres of eligible wine indicated in your application.

To attach your documents, select the 'Attach File' button in sections a, b, and c, as well as section d, if applicable. Your application cannot be deemed complete without this information.

  1. A copy of the federal wine licence letter issued to you by the CRA
    • Your organization must have a federal wine licence effective at the time of applying to the program and up to or after March 31, 2024.
    • A wine licence issued by any governing body other than the federal government does not meet the eligibility criteria of the program.

    Select the checkbox if you are a returning applicant who provided a valid federal wine licence to the program in the 2022-23 fiscal year and authorize the program to use the wine licence on file for your organization.

    • If your organization's wine licence expires before March 31, 2024, you will be required to provide proof of your renewed, valid wine licence, once available.
  2. Production records sufficient to verify the total litres of wine in your application, the date(s) the wine completed initial fermentation, and the primary agricultural product(s) used in the wine
    • Examples include blend sheets, completed excise duty return forms (such as the B265 Excise Duty Return — Wine Licensee form), other records such as spreadsheets, etc.
    • Production records must match the total litres of wine in your application.
  3. Documents sufficient to demonstrate your organization's ownership of the primary agricultural product(s) used in the wine in your application
    • Examples include crop production and/or harvest records, purchase invoices for fruit or other primary agricultural products, provincial reports or invoices which summarize the weight of grapes and/or primary agricultural products used in the wine produced by your organization, etc.
    • For processed inputs (that is, juice, concentrate, syrup, or must) that originated from primary agricultural product(s) that your organization grew, produced or otherwise owned, you must also include proof of an agreement with the supplier to transform the product(s) into the processed input(s) on your organization's behalf.
  4. If applicable, records of transaction between you and other licensed wineries that pertain to any wine your organization contracted out for production
    • Examples include contracts, emails, shipping documents, invoices, etc.

4. Grant information

Environmental considerations

Check the box if you acknowledge the local, provincial/territorial and federal responsibilities outlined.

Official languages

Use the radio buttons to indicate if you're a member of an official language minority community (OLMC). OLMCs are defined as English speakers in Quebec or French speakers outside Quebec.

If yes, use the radio buttons to indicate which OLMC you're a member of.

Use the radio buttons to indicate if the activities funded by this grant, if approved, would reach an audience of both English speakers and French speakers.

Please note that answering 'no' to these questions will not influence the outcome of your application.

Data collection
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)

AAFC has selected the NAICS identifiers that best suit this program for reporting purposes. To simplify the selection process, the codes are sorted into the following categories:

  • 111 — Crop production
  • 31212 — Breweries
  • 31213 — Wineries
  • 31214 — Distilleries
  • 722 — Food services and drinking places

Select the NAICS identifier that most appropriately applies. We recognize that not all organizations will fit perfectly into one (1) identifier.

You must answer the following six (6) self-identification questions. However, you can select 'Decline to Identify' for each question. The application will not be deemed ineligible or assessed less favourably if you decline to identify.

Your answers may be used by AAFC for reporting and to inform future policies, programs, and communication activities.

Select the applicable checkboxes or radio buttons for each question.

Question 1. Does the mandate/mission of your organization target any of the following groups? (Select all that apply)

Indigenous peoples

The collective name for the original peoples of Canada and their descendants and consists of distinct, rights-bearing communities comprising First Nations peoples, Inuit, and Métis.

  • First Nations — are a people composed of many different nations having their own origin, history and culture, and whose members have called North America home for thousands of years. First Nations include status and non-status Indians.
  • Métis — are a people whose members are of mixed First Nations and European ancestry, are united by a common origin, history and culture, and are generally accepted by the Métis Nation.
  • Inuit — are a people that inhabit or that traditionally inhabited the northern regions and Arctic coasts of Canada known as Inuit Nunangat, and whose members are united by a common origin, history and culture.

Indigenous organizations may include:

  • Aggregated Indigenous entities (as self-defined by Indigenous groups, could be linked by cultural or linguistic background, geographical area or historical treaty lines);
  • Associations;
  • National and regional Indigenous organizations;
  • Indigenous non-governmental and voluntary associations and organizations, including non-profit organizations and corporations; and
  • Self-governing Indigenous governments.
Persons with disabilities

The Employment Equity Act defines "persons with disabilities" as persons who have a long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment and who

  1. consider themselves to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that impairment, or
  2. believe that an employer or potential employer is likely to consider them to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that impairment, and includes persons whose functional limitations owing to their impairment have been accommodated in their current job or workplace.
Members of Visible Minorities
The Employment Equity Act defines "members of visible minorities" as persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.
Women
One of many gender identities. Includes all people who identify as women.
Youth
Individuals aged 35 and under.
2SLGBTQI+
Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and other people who identify as part of sexual and gender diverse communities who use additional terminologies.Endnote 1
Not Applicable
Use this selection if the question is not relevant to your organization.
Decline to identify
Use this selection if you do not want to disclose this information at the time of your application.

Question 2. Is your Organization majority owned (50% or more) by one or more of the following groups? (Select all that apply)

See the information above for groups included in question 1, as well as the following group:

Gender parity
A minimum of 50% women and/or non-binary individuals.
Non-binary
A person whose gender identity does not align with a binary understanding of gender such as man or woman. It is a gender identity which may include man and woman, androgynous, fluid, multiple, no gender, or a different gender outside of the "woman—man" spectrum.

Question 3. Does your Organization's Board of Directors have a diverse composition with significant representation (30% or more) from one or more of the following groups? (Select all that apply)

Note: This question is not applicable to Sole Proprietorships and will not appear in fillable application forms with Sole Proprietorship selected as the Organization Type

See the information above for groups included in question 1 and question 2.

Question 4. Does your Organization have a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan or a Human Resources plan that supports diversity, equity and inclusion?

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Plan
An employment equity plan addresses under-representation of marginalized groups such as Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, women, youth, 2SLGBTQI+ people, and official language minority people and employment barriers they may face. A DEI Plan goes beyond an employment equity plan to address under-representation and employment barriers for employment equity and equity-seeking groups to advance diversity, equity and inclusion commitments in the workplace.
Human resources plan that supports DEI
A plan that links human resources management to the organizations overall strategic and operational plans and includes objectives to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

Question 5. Does your Organization participate in the 50 — 30 Challenge: Your Diversity Advantage?

The 50 — 30 Challenge is an initiative co-created by the Government of Canada, civil society and the private sector that aims to attain gender parity and significant representation (at least 30%) of other under-represented groups on boards and senior management positions in order to build a more diverse, inclusive, and vibrant economic future for Canadians.

The Challenge will allow a variety of organizations to participate across 3 program streams including small and medium enterprises and non-profit organizations, and those without Boards of Directors or senior management teams. The Challenge includes:

  1. Organizations that meet the Challenge
  2. Organizations that are working toward the Challenge.

For more information, please visit: The 50 — 30 Challenge: Your Diversity Advantage (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada)

Question 6. Select any of the following groups who will directly benefit from the activities supported by this grant funding (select all that apply):

See the information above for groups included in question 1 and question 2.

5. Declarations

Unpaid debts to the Government of Canada

Use the radio buttons to indicate if your organization has any amounts owing to the Government of Canada.

If yes, please indicate the amount owed, the responsible department or agency to which you are indebted and under what agreement/legislation. To add additional rows, select the plus () button.

Lobbying activities

Use the checkbox to declare that your organization, and any person lobbying on its behalf, is in compliance with the Lobbying Act.

Conflict of Interest and Privacy Statement

Please read this section carefully and check the two (2) mandatory declaration checkboxes, if you understand and agree.

Authorizations

Read the declarations carefully, and check the four (4) mandatory checkboxes if you understand and agree.

Use the radio buttons to select your preferred language of correspondence.

Enter your first name, last name, title within the organization, primary phone number, and email address. Enter your email address again to confirm.

AAFC will use this information to correspond with you about your organization's application.

6. Submit

Please check for errors after you complete each page and before you submit the application. Save the form on your computer.

Once the application form has been completed and saved, select the 'Submit' button on the last page.

Select 'No' to the resulting pop-up box requesting a save of the form. You may be asked, through a pop-up message, to choose your preferred method of emailing your application (for example, Outlook, Gmail, etc.). Select a choice and then select 'Continue.'

Your application will be automatically sent to the program's email address.

If the email does not automatically generate, please email the completed form and supporting attachments to aafc.wssp-pasv.aac@agr.gc.ca. Application packages may also be mailed or faxed to the program; however, applications submitted through these methods will take longer to process.

If you want to make changes to your submitted application or you wish to withdraw an application, do not submit a new application form. Instead, please contact the program at aafc.wssp-pasv.aac@agr.gc.ca.

Note: The email address you provide will be used for notification purposes to acknowledge receipt of your application by AAFC.