--- title: Canada Put $500M Behind SMB AI Adoption — How BC Businesses Can Stack Funding and Training description: BDC's $500M LIFT program finances SMB AI adoption. Here's how BC businesses can pair it with ETG training support — and a 5-step plan before applying. image: https://go.daova.ai/hubfs/group8-funding-training-lions-gate.png --- [Skip to content](https://go.daova.ai/blog/canada-put-500m-behind-smb-ai-adoption-how-bc-businesses-can-stack-funding-and-training#main-content) [![DAOVALOGO-0929-60pct-blog](https://go.daova.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/DAOVALOGO-0929-60pct-blog.png?width=1303&height=434&name=DAOVALOGO-0929-60pct-blog.png)Homepage](https://daova.ai) - [Services](https://daova.ai/#what) - [Framework](https://daova.ai/#path) - [Blog](https://go.daova.ai/blog) - [About](https://daova.ai/#trust) [Book a Session](https://daova.ai/contact) - [Services](https://daova.ai/#what) - [Framework](https://daova.ai/#path) - [Blog](https://go.daova.ai/blog) - [About](https://daova.ai/#trust) [Book a Session](https://daova.ai/contact) ![Paper-cut illustration of a team combining financing and skills training with Vancouver Lions Gate Bridge in the background.](https://go.daova.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/group8-funding-training-lions-gate.png?width=1536&height=1024&name=group8-funding-training-lions-gate.png) AI Strategy & Getting Started AI Investment # Canada Put $500M Behind SMB AI Adoption — How BC Businesses Can Stack Funding and Training ![Victor Sh](https://go.daova.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/head%20photo.png?width=48&height=48&name=head%20photo.png) Victor Sh October 6, 2026 Only **30% of Canadian SMEs** used AI in 2025, according to BDC. The ones that did were **24% more productive** than those that didn't. That gap is why Canada's business development bank put [$500 million into LIFT](https://www.bdc.ca/en/about/mediaroom/news-releases/bdc-launches-lift-getting-canadian-smes-off-the-ai-sidelines), a program built to get small and medium-sized businesses off the AI sidelines. With [BDC Small Business Week](https://www.bdc.ca/en/about/small-business-week) coming up October 19–25, it's a good moment for owners to look at what's actually on the table. Most BC businesses we talk to don't know about LIFT, and many have never heard of the provincial training grant that pairs well with it. ## What LIFT Actually Offers LIFT (Lead with Innovation and Focus on Technology) pairs eligible business owners with AI advisors and offers financing from **$25,000 to $5 million**, with flexible repayment — including the option to postpone principal payments for up to two years. It covers digital tools, data infrastructure, cybersecurity, Canadian AI applications, and productivity equipment like automation. Conditions apply, so check eligibility with BDC directly. The federal [AI for All strategy](https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/ised/en/canadas-national-artificial-intelligence-strategy-ai-all) sets the backdrop: Ottawa wants business AI adoption to rise from about 12% to 60% by 2034. Expect more programs like this, not fewer. ## Why Money Isn't the Real Bottleneck Financing solves one problem: paying for tools and implementation. But the businesses that get value from AI usually aren't the ones that spent the most. They're the ones whose people know how to use it and whose data is ready for it. A $100,000 loan spent on software nobody uses is still a $100,000 loan. That's where BC businesses have an extra advantage. The [B.C. Employer Training Grant](https://www.workbc.ca/plan-career/education-and-training/employer-training-grant) can reimburse up to **80% of eligible workforce training**, up to $10,000 per employee. Financing for the tools, a grant for the skills — the two together cover both halves of adoption. ## A 5-Step Plan Before You Apply for Anything ### 1. Name the problem in one sentence "We spend 15 hours a week on quotes" is fundable. "We want to use AI" isn't. Advisors and lenders both respond to a specific, measurable problem. ### 2. Check your data is ready Where do your customer records, invoices, and job notes actually live? If the answer is "spreadsheets, email, and someone's head," fix that first. AI tools amplify whatever data they're given. ### 3. Price the full project, not just the software Include setup, integration, security review, and staff time. This is the number you'll take to BDC — and the one that tells you whether financing makes sense at all. ### 4. Plan the training before the purchase ETG applications generally need to be submitted before training starts, so build training into your timeline early. Confirm current rules on the WorkBC site. ### 5. Set governance from day one Decide who owns the AI tools, what data can go into them, and how output gets reviewed. Under BC's privacy law (PIPA), you're responsible for how customer information is handled — including by AI vendors. ## A Quick Test Before You Borrow - Can you say exactly how many hours or dollars this project will save in year one? - Do you have a plan for who will be trained, and when? - Would you still do this project without the financing? If the last answer is "no," the project probably isn't ready yet. ## The Bottom Line Canada is putting real money behind SMB AI adoption, and BC businesses can stack federal financing with provincial training support. But funding only pays off when the plan comes first. This week, write that one-sentence problem statement from step 1. It's the start of every application — and the test of whether AI is worth funding in your business at all. *Planning an AI project and want to line up training, governance, and funding the right way? [Talk to DAOVA](https://daova.ai) — we help BC SMBs simplify the ETG application.* ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fgo.daova.ai%2Fblog%2Fcanada-put-500m-behind-smb-ai-adoption-how-bc-businesses-can-stack-funding-and-training](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fgo.daova.ai%2Fblog%2Fcanada-put-500m-behind-smb-ai-adoption-how-bc-businesses-can-stack-funding-and-training) ## Keep reading ### [![Illustration of a British Columbia small business and five steps for an AI pilot: choose a task, test a tool, protect data, train a teammate, and review results.](https://go.daova.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/bc-small-business-five-day-ai-plan.png?width=1860&height=845&name=bc-small-business-five-day-ai-plan.png) AI Strategy & Getting Started ROI & Transformation Small Business Week Starts October 19 — A 5-Day AI Plan for BC Businesses That Don't Want to Be 'Finished'](https://go.daova.ai/blog/small-business-week-starts-october-19-a-5-day-ai-plan-for-bc-businesses) ### [![Paper-cut illustration of a business owner setting a usage cap and spending alert with the National Gallery of Canada in the background.](https://go.daova.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/group8-usage-billing-national-gallery.png?width=1536&height=1024&name=group8-usage-billing-national-gallery.png) AI Security AI Investment Microsoft Just Started Billing Copilot Agents by Usage — What SMBs Should Set Up Before December 1](https://go.daova.ai/blog/microsoft-copilot-agents-usage-billing-what-smbs-should-set-up-before-december-1) [![DAOVA.ai](https://go.daova.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/DAOVALOGO-0929-1.png?width=2172&height=724&name=DAOVALOGO-0929-1.png "DAOVA.ai")](http://daova.ai) - [Services](https://daova.ai/#what) - [Framework](https://daova.ai/#path) - [Blog](https://go.daova.ai/blog) - [About](https://daova.ai/#trust) --- Privacy Policy · Legal · © 2026 DAOVA SOLUTIONS INC.. 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