Ontario Investing $16.5 Million to Protect Tariff-Impacted Workers and Businesses

VAUGHAN —The Ontario government is supporting companies and workers impacted by U.S. tariffs by investing $16.5 million through the Ontario Together Trade Fund (OTTF) to help them increase resilience, build capacity and re-shore critical supply chains to Ontario.

"In the fight against President Trump's tariffs on our economy, our government will never turn our backs on Canadian workers," said Stephen Lecce, MPP for King—Vaughan. "The Ontario Together Trade Fund is a targeted investment that protects local workers and businesses most impacted by tariffs on their sector and supply chains — empowering Canadian entrepreneurs, workers, and industry."

The announcement marks the first round of funding under the OTTF program, with the eight recipient companies’ projects amounting to over $120 million in investments that will create over 300 new, good-paying jobs and protect nearly 1,200 more across the province.

“As U.S. tariffs continue to threaten Ontario’s critical industries, our government remains focused on ensuring our manufacturers have the resources needed to adapt and expand,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “Through the Ontario Together Trade Fund, we are taking decisive action to enhance the competitiveness of our economy, increasing opportunities for Ontario businesses and workers, now and for generations to come.”

The announcement was made in Vaughan, where three companies are receiving support, including:

• Burnco Manufacturing Inc., who are receiving $2.5 million to support their $8 million investment to increase production capacity and efficiency at its facilities in Vaughan. The investment will create 75 new jobs and protect 215 existing positions.

• Heali Medical Corp., who are receiving $1.7 million to support their $5.7 million investment to reduce tariff exposure by reshoring production from China and expanding into new international markets, including Europe, the UK, Asia, and Australia. This investment will create 12 new jobs and protect five existing positions.

• Letar Inc., who are receiving over $800,000 to support their $2.8 million investment to establish a chemical processing facility at its Vaughan location. This investment will create nine new jobs and protect 32 existing positions.

  
  

The remaining recipients from the first round will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Through the Ontario Trade Together Fund, our government is stepping up for the businesses in our community who’ve been directly affected by U.S. tariffs,” said Laura Smith, Member of Provincial Parliament for Thornhill. “This investment will help them adapt, stay competitive and continue creating good jobs for local families. We’re building greater self-reliance in our supply chains and strengthening Ontario’s ability to stand on its own.”

First announced as part of the 2025 Ontario Budget, the OTTF is part of the province’s nearly $30 billion tariff relief and support plan, dedicated to protecting the province’s workers and businesses from economic uncertainty and building a more competitive, resilient and self-reliant economy. With a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises, the program will help businesses across a diverse range of sectors make the necessary investments to strengthen operations in Ontario, expand market reach and protect workers.

Since its launch, the OTTF has received overwhelming demand, with more than 140 applications submitted as of October 2025. In response to this, the government recently announced an additional $100 million investment into the program, bringing the total funding to $150 million over three years. The increased support will enable businesses affected by U.S. tariffs to return production to Ontario, identify new sales opportunities and expand interprovincial trade.

“The tariffs from the U.S. have had tremendous impacts on our economy and our local businesses,” said Steven Del Duca, Mayor of Vaughan. “That’s why I am thrilled by this funding announcement from the Ontario government. It will help create more jobs, safeguard existing positions and increase production for three Vaughan companies.”

As Ontario continues to navigate the impact of U.S. tariffs and global economic uncertainty, the government remains focused on delivering critical funding, cutting red tape, unleashing the economy and supporting workers.

Quick Facts

• The Ontario Together Trade Fund is a part of Ontario’s broader strategy to support advanced manufacturing and trade-impacted communities, launched or enhanced as part of the 2025 Ontario Budget, including the Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit, the Protect Ontario Financing Program and the Trade-Impacted Communities Program.

• Ontario’s manufacturing sector is vital to its prosperity, employing over 800,000 workers across Ontario.

• Through the OTTF, the government is also providing complementary supports and services to help businesses navigate regulatory requirements, connect with skilled talent and access government programs that accelerate project success.

• Open to Ontario-based businesses investing a minimum of $200,000, eligible projects include modification of existing products to enter new sectors, procurement of advanced equipment and facility modification to enhance domestic manufacturing and sales expansion.

Quotes

"We are very grateful for the timely support the Ontario Government has offered through the Ontario Together Trade Fund. Burnco is in the steel bridge sector and our industry has been greatly impacted with the current tariff and trade restrictions. This program will support our company with upgrades, including new, modern CNC Equipment and crane lifting capacity at two facilities. The significant support will allow us to expand our capacity in serving the infrastructure sector in Ontario and Canada with structural steel bridges and components and add important skilled jobs."

- Homer Sayyad

President, Burnco Manufacturing Inc.

"The support provided through the OTTF program has been transformative for Heali Medical. Heali Medical is a women owned company focused on bringing stylish natural products to market to empower people on their health and wellness journey. This funding accelerated our ability to move from prototype to commercial-ready solutions, allowing us to scale our R&D, strengthen our clinical validation efforts and bring innovative health-care technology to market much faster than would have otherwise been possible. OTTF enabled us to expand high-skilled jobs within Ontario and deepen collaboration with local research partners, all while positioning Heali Medical for sustainable growth in the global med-tech sector. We’re grateful for the program’s confidence in our vision and proud to contribute to Ontario’s reputation as a leader in medical innovation."

- Heather Sloan and Enwei Li

Co-Founders, Heali Medical Corp.

"Letar Inc. is honoured to be selected for the Ontario Together Fund to accelerate the development of our advanced chemical-processing facility. This project will reshore essential processing capabilities and strengthen Ontario’s supply-chain while creating highly skilled technical jobs. By advancing in-province expertise, this investment reinforces Ontario’s aerospace industry as a global centre of excellence."

- Armaan Jain

Managing Director, Letar Inc.

MEDIA CONTACT                                                                                              

Stephen Lecce, MPP for King—Vaughan

Constituency Office

Tel.: 647-560-9700        

Email: Stephen.Lecce@pc.ola.org