New funding will improve access to advice, mentorship and financial support as businesses face economic challenges.
Ontario is putting $49 million over three years into helping small businesses get advice, mentorship, and funding through a network of business support centres across the province.
The Ontario Small Business Advisory Centres will receive this funding as part of an initiative to make it easier for entrepreneurs to find and use business services.
Rob Tamblyn, the business development manager for small and medium enterprises at Kingston Economic Development, believes this investment can help local businesses tap into resources as they start, expand or adapt.
The network consists of over 50 locations throughout Ontario. In 2025-26, it addressed more than 182,000 inquiries, provided close to 40,000 consultations and assisted over 16,000 businesses. Tamblyn notes that not all of this funding is new.
The province states that the centres will keep offering programs like Starter Company Plus, which gives eligible entrepreneurs up to $5,000 in funding, and Summer Company, which provides students with up to $3,000.
This investment comes as small businesses continue facing rising operating costs, U. S. tariffs and broader economic instability. Tamblyn shares more insights on this matter.
Ontario mentions that nearly 500,000 small businesses employ around 2.5 million people throughout the province.
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Story by Alyssa Brush
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