Québec — Programme d'appui au développement des attraits touristiques (PADAT) — Volet 1

Program Description

Repayable financing for Quebec tourism investment projects, delivered by Investissement Québec on behalf of the Ministère du Tourisme. Volet 1 funds attractions, tourism equipment and tourism services through a loan or a loan guarantee of $150,000 to $5,000,000 per project, covering up to 50% of eligible expenses. The guarantee covers up to 70% of a lender's net loss.

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicant must be a for-profit organization (OBL), non-profit organization (OBNL), cooperative, an Indigenous community or nation recognized by the National Assembly, or any grouping of these
• The organization must be legally constituted in Quebec or Canada, and must operate and do business in Quebec
• The organization must have a financial structure, quality of management and professional and technical staff capable of ensuring its profitability, competitiveness and durability, and must present profitability potential
• The organization must be listed on BonjourQuébec.com where applicable — start-up projects are exempt from this requirement
• An organization operating a tourist accommodation establishment must comply with the applicable regulations and hold a registration number
• An organization operating an outfitter (pourvoirie) must hold a valid permit and have discharged all obligations under the Act respecting the conservation and development of wildlife
• Where required, the organization must show it meets the Aventure Écotourisme Québec Qualité-Sécurité standards, has begun a process to comply, or commits to begin one
• The project must concern a tourism attraction, tourism equipment or a tourism service, and must involve construction, reconstruction (including demolition of an obsolete existing structure), expansion, interior or exterior fit-out, adaptation or conversion, acquisition or replacement of equipment, acquisition of a tourism business, or deployment of a new tourism experience
• The project must not have been carried out or already be under way before the date the funding application is filed
• Financing must include a minimum private-source contribution of at least 20% of eligible expenses; this drops to 10% for projects of an Indigenous community or nation recognized by the National Assembly (including their for-profit and non-profit organizations) and for projects carried out in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine or on Anticosti
• Total government assistance may not exceed 50% of total eligible project expenses for a for-profit organization, 80% for a non-profit or cooperative, or 90% for an Indigenous community or nation or a project in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine or on Anticosti
• Financial assistance is a minimum of $150,000 and a maximum of $5,000,000 per project across all forms of aid combined, at a maximum aid rate of 50% of eligible expenses
• A loan guarantee covers at most 70% of the net loss on a loan, line of credit or other financial commitment granted by a lender approved by Investissement Québec
• Only projects that receive a favourable sectoral opinion from the Ministère du Tourisme can be funded
• The project must start no later than six months after its authorization, must be completed within two years of that start date, and final disbursements cannot go beyond March 31, 2029
• Ineligible project types include tourist inns (gîtes), condotels, operators renting fewer than 10 tourist residences before the project, tourist residences on the Island of Montreal or in Quebec City, floating buildings, cycling paths and snowmobile trails, wharf repairs, tourist information offices, retail and restaurant projects, gambling-sector projects, and projects tied to the sale or consumption of alcohol or cannabis
• Organizations listed on the Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics, or under the protection of the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act or the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, are ineligible
• Organizations and their directors that, in the five years before the application, failed to meet their obligations or were formally put on notice in connection with earlier financial assistance from the Ministère du Tourisme or its agents are ineligible
• Crown corporations and departments or agencies of the governments of Quebec or Canada are ineligible