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

Program Description

Grants for Quebec tourism businesses making their infrastructure and services accessible to people with disabilities, managed by Kéroul and funded by the Ministère du Tourisme. Three streams: up to $100,000 for infrastructure and exterior work, up to $50,000 for an innovative adapted-equipment project ($150,000 combined), and up to $300,000 for a collective project shared by several operators. Funded work must earn Kéroul's "accessible" rating or improve an already-accessible offer.

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicant must be legally constituted under the laws of Quebec or Canada and do business in Quebec
• Eligible applicants are legally constituted for-profit organizations (OBL), non-profits (OBNL) and cooperatives, Indigenous organizations, communities and nations recognized by the National Assembly, and any grouping of these
• Applicant must be recognized by a tourism association or grouping (regional or sectoral tourism association), or be published on BonjourQuebec.com, or be in the process of obtaining tourism recognition — the grant is conditional on that recognition
• Where required, the applicant must hold the Aventure Écotourisme Québec Qualité-Sécurité accreditation or be in the process of obtaining it
• Applicant must operate in one of the eligible tourism sectors: tourist accommodation establishments (youth or general category — the 'principal residence' category is excluded, and a registration number under the Tourist Accommodation Act is required), tourist attractions and activities, accredited tourist welcome and information centres, tourism services (convention and exhibition centres, marinas, local tourism promotion bodies, performance halls and theatres, tourist shuttles, international cruise ports, parking serving a tourist site, public markets, tourist shops, ticket offices, airports), and restaurants located within an eligible sector
• Festivals and events must have been held for at least two consecutive prior editions in the same place before the application (biennial editions count)
• A restaurant must already be accessible or become accessible by the end of the submitted project in order to benefit
• An outfitter (pourvoirie) must hold a valid permit, have met its obligations under the wildlife conservation legislation, and hold a tourist accommodation registration number where applicable
• The project must aim to obtain Kéroul's "accessible" rating or to improve an already-accessible offer, and the work must comply with the barrier-free design standards of the Guide sur l'accessibilité des bâtiments in force at the time of construction
• Municipalities are not eligible, but a non-governmental organization that operates a tourism business, service or asset in premises or on a site belonging to a municipality or MRC under a written agreement with it IS eligible
• Crown corporations and departments and agencies of the governments of Quebec or Canada are not eligible
• Projects eligible under the Société d'habitation du Québec's Petits établissements accessibles (PEA) program are not eligible here
• Businesses listed on the Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics are not eligible
• Businesses that in the two years before the application failed to meet their obligations after being formally put on notice in connection with earlier Ministère du Tourisme funding are not eligible
• Projects merely bringing the establishment into compliance with the Code de construction accessibility requirements that applied when it was built or transformed are not eligible
• Projects in the sale or consumption of alcohol or cannabis, gambling, or retail are not eligible — except restaurants, microbreweries, distilleries, vineyards, public markets, and tourist shops and boutiques
• Projects already completed or started before all documents are filed and the plans approved by the PAET review committee are not eligible; work begun after Kéroul's preliminary acceptance is at the company's own risk because eligibility does not guarantee funding
• Work that resembles regular maintenance is not eligible
• Financing must include a minimum cash contribution by the promoter from a NON-GOVERNMENTAL source: 35% for a for-profit, 20% for a non-profit or cooperative, 10% for an Indigenous community or nation and for the Îles-de-la-Madeleine
• Total government assistance may not exceed 65% of eligible costs for a for-profit, 80% for a non-profit or cooperative, or 90% for an Indigenous community or nation and for the Îles-de-la-Madeleine
• Work must be carried out by contractors holding the appropriate Régie du bâtiment du Québec licence or a Commission de la construction du Québec competency card; repair, maintenance or renovation work under $20,000 may be done by the owner or its employees in accordance with RBQ requirements
• A public call for tenders is mandatory for any construction contract of $100,000 or more, failing which the project is deemed ineligible
• A for-profit with more than 100 employees receiving $100,000 or more must commit to implementing an equal-access employment program consistent with the Charter of human rights and freedoms
• The project realization period cannot exceed 12 months from the date the funding agreement is signed