Navigating Tariff Pressures: How Canadian Startups and Established Firms are Adapting
U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods are not new, but their effects are evolving. What is new is how both startups and established manufacturers are experiencing these impacts in today’s economic environment, and how Budget 2025: Shifting from Reliance to Resilience is shaping the support mechanisms to help them respond. Recent reporting suggests Canada’s economy is […]
Strategic Response Fund and the Strategic Innovation Fund
Starting in 2025, Canada is launching a $5 billion Strategic Response Fund (SRF), designed not just to promote innovation but to help industries hit hard by trade disruptions. The SRF is aimed at businesses operating in strategic, trade-exposed sectors such as steel, aluminum, automotive supply chains. Companies may qualify if their projects help sustain or […]
Budget 2025: SR&ED Gets a Major Upgrade & Key Business Tax Changes
A Clear Signal for Innovation and Investment Budget 2025, titled “Canada Strong,” wasn’t just about fiscal anchors and public spending; it delivered a clear, tangible message to Canadian businesses: Invest in Canada, and we will maximize your savings. The federal government has launched a concerted, strategic effort to boost domestic productivity and global competitiveness using […]
Federal Budget 2025: What Businesses Should Watch For
On November 4, Prime Minister Mark Carney will table his inaugural federal budget, setting the stage for a transformative era in Canada’s economic and fiscal landscape. With a projected deficit between $70 billion and $100 billion for 2025/26, as estimated by economists, the government is expected to pursue a dual strategy of strategic investment and […]
Canada’s Innovation Clusters
The Global Innovation Clusters (GIC) initiative is a federal program created by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). It was established to build globally competitive innovation ecosystems in Canada by funding and coordinating large-scale collaboration between businesses, researchers, and government. Through this initiative, Canada supports five industry-led clusters that focus on digital technologies, protein […]
Major SR&ED Policy Changes Pending
What Canadian Businesses Need to Know The federal government has released draft legislation that could mark the most significant update to the Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) program in over a decade. The proposed changes were first introduced in the 2024 Fall Economic Statement and, on August 15, 2025, the government announced draft legislation […]
Québec’s New Tax Credit for Research, Innovation, and Commercialization (CRIC): What You Need to Know
Starting in 2025, Québec is introducing a powerful new incentive for businesses focused on innovation: the Tax Credit for Research, Innovation, and Commercialization (CRIC). Designed to fuel scientific research and support the journey from ideas to market, CRIC is a refundable tax credit that rewards corporations investing in R&D and pre-commercialization activities within Québec. Here’s […]
Why Great Projects Miss Out on Funding: The Most Common Pitfalls We See
Government funding can be a powerful tool for driving innovation, growth, and capacity-building but navigating the landscape isn’t always straightforward. We often see organizations with strong ideas and high-impact projects miss out on funding for reasons that are completely avoidable. In our work supporting clients across industries, we’ve identified a few recurring pitfalls that stand […]
Navigating Startup Fundraising: How our Skool Community can Help you Fundraise Smarter
Did you know North Group has a growing online community to help startups fundraise smarter? Our Skool Community, Start-up Funding Connect, is a space designed specifically for founders who want to scale, learn from peers, and tap into expert support on all things funding. Challenges Faced by Startups Fundraising became significantly more challenging in early […]
New Government, New Fiscal Year: What It Means for Funding
Every spring, the start of a new government fiscal year (April 1 in Canada) typically brings a refresh across the government funding landscape. Budgets are released, program allocations are updated, and departments begin implementing revised mandates. For businesses that rely on funding to support innovation, expansion, or workforce development, this can be a time of […]