Québec — Programme d'accessibilité des établissements touristiques (PAET) 2024-2027

Insider Tip

Open the file before you do anything else — Kéroul sends a representative to visit your establishment, walks through what is needed to reach its "accessible" rating, and its recommendations then become a scored criterion ("Correspond aux recommandations de Kéroul — l'attribution de l'aide financière sera conditionnelle à cette clause"). Applicants who treat that visit as the design brief score highest on the 60-point relevance block. Three money mechanics are worth knowing: 60% of the grant is paid on signature, before the work, which is unusually good for cash flow in a renovation; professional fees are capped at 10% of the accessibility work for plans and specs, another 10% for design, engineering, supervision and reporting, and 10% for preparing a public tender; and contingency is eligible up to 5% of costs but is paid on actual costs, not budgeted ones. Two traps: a construction contract of $100,000 or more without a public call for tenders makes the whole project ineligible, and any work started before all documents including the plans are approved by the review committee is ineligible.

Rejection Pitfalls 12

• The project only brings the establishment up to the Code de construction accessibility requirements that already applied when it was built or transformed
• Work started, or contractual commitments were made, before all documents and the plans were approved by the PAET review committee
• A construction contract of $100,000 or more was awarded without a public call for tenders

Success Profile

A legally constituted Quebec tourism operator already recognized by a regional or sectoral tourism association (or listed on BonjourQuebec.com) — a hotel, campground, museum, festival with at least two prior editions, attraction, outfitter, theatre, marina or eligible restaurant — with a renovation or equipment project designed around Kéroul's own site-visit recommendations. The published 2022-2024 recipient list is dominated by campgrounds, small museums, hotels, festivals and agrotourism sites rather than large operators, and the median grant was about $80,000. The strongest files arrive complete and early, with two comparable RBQ-licensed contractor quotes, signed plans, two years of audited statements, and a confirmed non-governmental cash contribution of at least 35% for a for-profit.

Evaluation Criteria

Scored out of 100 across three blocks. Tourism relevance of the project (60 points): does it achieve Kéroul's accessible rating or improve an existing accessible offer, does it match Kéroul's recommendations (the grant is conditional on this), does it develop or improve accessible accommodation, does it add activities adapted for people with disabilities, and does it present an innovative initiative or solution. Project feasibility (30 points): a complete and realistic financing package with documents confirming each source of the cash contribution, demonstrated financial viability of the organization, capacity to deliver the project, and an application complete enough to be appraised. Responsible and sustainable tourism (10 points): eco-responsible practices such as durable materials, local or eco-responsible suppliers, clean technologies including better water and energy management, and engagement in a structured sustainable-development process. Where demand exceeds the envelope, priority goes to the highest-scoring projects in order of the date the complete file was received.

Application Steps

Required Documents 10

Eligible Expenses 10

• Improvement or transformation work on the building's infrastructure and/or the site in order to obtain Kéroul's "accessible" rating — materials, labour and administration fees
• Professional fees for plans and specifications tied to eligible accessibility work, up to 10% of the eligible work
• Professional fees for design, engineering, technical staff or consultants retained for project supervision and management, or for reporting, up to 10% of the accessibility project
• Preparation and follow-up of the public tender documents where construction work is $100,000 or more, up to 10% of the accessibility project
• Production of a certification report signed by a contractor holding the appropriate licence, attesting to the work carried out and its costs (in force since January 1, 2026, not retroactive)
• Repair, maintenance or renovation work under $20,000, provided a budget estimate covering materials and labour is filed and the work complies with RBQ requirements
• Purchase and installation of specialized equipment or furniture, and acquisition of adapted material that improves the customer experience
• The cost of the municipal permit
• Net taxes (excluding the recoverable portion) on direct costs
• Contingency, up to 5% of costs — it can be budgeted, but payments are made against actual costs

Ineligible Expenses 10

• Costs of acquiring a business and its infrastructure
• The recoverable portions of QST and GST, and any other cost for which the recipient or a third party is entitled to a refund
• Donations and in-kind contributions (volunteering, goods and services)
• Services or work normally provided by the recipient or its agents, including routine maintenance and internal administration
• Asset transfers
• Direct or indirect operating, running or administrative costs, and usual maintenance and operating expenses
• Financing fees and travel expenses
• Lobbyist compensation
• Costs the recipient contractually committed to before filing all the required application documents, other than the project-development professional fees described in the guide
• In a broader renovation project, any work not tied to accessibility — the quotes or public tender must clearly identify the PAET-eligible portion

Intake Periods

Continuous — "Les appels de projets sont en continu en fonction des disponibilités financières." There is no round deadline; files are opened at any time, and the review committee meets about four times a year, with the dates communicated once your application is in process. Allow roughly six months from opening the file to the end of the process. The program itself runs until March 31, 2027 or until the $6,000,000 envelope is exhausted, whichever comes first, and when demand exceeds the envelope priority goes to the highest-scoring projects in order of the date the complete file was received.

Deadline Notes

There is no application round deadline: "Les appels de projets sont en continu en fonction des disponibilités financières." What is dated is the program itself — the applicant guide states the total envelope is $6,000,000 and that "Le programme prendra fin le 31 mars 2027 ou jusqu'à épuisement de l'enveloppe, selon la première des deux situations qui se produit." So the money can run out before that date. Two timing facts matter more than the date: Kéroul tells applicants to allow about six months between opening a file and the end of the application process, and the review committee meets roughly four times a year. If the program is oversubscribed, priority goes to the highest-scoring projects in order of the date a complete file was received — so submitting a complete file early is worth real money. Once approved, the project must be completed within 12 months of signing the agreement.

Ineligible Organizations

• Municipalities — except that a non-governmental organization operating a tourism business or service in municipal or MRC premises under a written agreement is eligible
• Crown corporations and departments and agencies of the governments of Quebec or Canada
• Businesses listed on the Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics
• Businesses that in the two years before the application failed to meet their obligations after being formally put on notice regarding earlier Ministère du Tourisme funding
• Establishments in the 'principal residence' accommodation category
• Organizations whose project is eligible under the Société d'habitation du Québec's Petits établissements accessibles (PEA) program
• Organizations that are not recognized by a tourism association or grouping, not published on BonjourQuebec.com, and not pursuing tourism recognition

Compatible Programs

Clawback Risk

Medium Risk

Two distinct exposures. First, recalculation: "Le calcul de l'aide réelle octroyée se fera à la fin du projet en regard des coûts réels", so a project delivered under budget gets less than the announced grant even though 60% was already advanced. Second, cessation of operations: the conditions applying if the funded infrastructure stops operating are set in the signed agreement, and "Advenant un non respect de celles-ci, Kéroul conserve le droit de réclamer en total ou en partie la subvention octroyée." The final 40% is also conditional on obtaining the accessible rating and on a professional certification report, so work that does not meet the barrier-free standards can strand the remainder. Failing to run a public tender on a construction contract of $100,000 or more makes the project ineligible outright.