Special Beekeepers Fund in Ontario Program

Welcome to the Special Beekeepers Fund (SBF) in Ontario Program web site.

The SBF will help alleviate the financial pressures faced by Ontario's beekeepers as a result of the higher than normal mortality rate of Ontario honey bees due to extraordinary weather conditions in the 2006 - 2007 winter season.

The government has allocated funding of $2.4 million under the fund to assist affected honey beekeepers. An additional $600,000 has also been allocated for research, technology transfer and promotions related to the honey bee industry.

Program application is now closed. The deadline for submitting an application for funding was 5pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on August 8, 2007.

First payments have been issued to all eligible beekeepers. The payments are calculated on $100 per net lost colonies (i.e., net of 15% industry standard loss) to a maximum payment of $100,000 per beekeeper.

For example, if you had 300 active colonies in production before the winter loss and you lost 100 colonies during the winter, your payment is calculated as follows:

Step: Industry standard loss (not compensable): 300 * 15% = 45
Step Two: Net lost colonies: 100 - 45 = 55
Step Three: Payment amount: $100 * 55 = $5,500

A second payment will be issued in the winter of 2007/08 following the site inspection of selected apiaries.

On this site, you can access the Special Beekeepers Fund in Ontario program:

• Guidebook (PDF version - 47 kb)
• Application (PDF version - 41 kb)
• Frequently asked questions (PDF version - 34kb)
• News release

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