Frequently Asked Questions

Online Application Portal

• 1. 

  What is the link to the Ontario Creates Online Application Portal?

  https://apply.ontariocreates.ca

• 2. 

  How do I register for a user account?

  From the login screen, click “Register”. The system will take you through a three step registration process. The first step is where you will setup your account login and password. Secret question(s) are used for retrieving a forgotten password. Step 2 of registration will ask for Organization information. If you will be managing and working on applications for multiple companies, just register for one here. The first company that you register for does NOT have to be the parent company. Once your user account has been created and activated, you will be able to login to your user account to register for other companies that you may be submitting applications for. Step 3 is where you will enter some user information such as your first and last name and confirm that you have read the terms and conditions of the portal. Once you have completed the three step registration process, you will receive a system generated email with a link that you must click to activate your user account. If you do not receive this system generated email, please contact us at applyhelp@ontariocreates.ca.

• 3. 

  Can I add other users into my company so that we can collaborate on applications?

  Yes. You will be able to add other user to your company once Ontario Creates has received your Signing Officer Delegation of Corporate Administrator and Portal User form. This form can be downloaded here or at the bottom of this page. You must insert the legal name(s) of the company(ies) in the table at the top of the form. All users who the signing officer(s) would like to delegate as Corporate Administrators on the Portal should be listed in the table at the bottom of the first page. At least one signing officer from the company must sign the second page of the form. This form can be uploaded directly during Step 2 of user registration or when registering for a new company within your user account. You also have the option to return the form via fax or email.

  Email: applyhelp@ontariocreates.ca

• 4. 

  Where can I download a copy of the Signing Officer Delegation of Corporate Administrator and Portal User form?

  The form can be downloaded here.

• 5. 

  I am a Corporate Administrator of a company, how do I add a new user or another Corporate Administrator so that others can access existing or start new applications on the Portal for the company?

  Follow these steps to add new Portal Users and/or Corporate Users to a company:

  1. Log into the OAP and click the ‘Corporate Profile’ tab.
  2. Select the company whose information you wish to change. You will be taken to that company’s corporate profile.
  3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. You will see the ‘Corporate Users’ section.
  4. Click ‘Add New User to [COMPANY NAME]’
  5. Complete the form with the new user’s details, then click ‘Add/Update’. Note down the activation key for the new account at this point. It can be found in the corporate users section, in the third column.
  6. The signing officer(s) will then receive an email asking them to confirm the addition of a new user. There is a link in that email that will confirm the account creation. Click it and the account will be confirmed. Only one signing officer needs to click the link.
  7. The new user will then receive an email welcoming them to the portal as a user. There will be a link enclosed in that email. When they click it, they will be prompted for an activation key. The activation key for each new user added can be found next to their name in the Corporate Users table within the Corporate Profile of the company. You should share the key with them, and they can paste it in at this point. They will then generate a password and security questions and they will then be registered to the portal.
  8. Repeat for additional users.
• 6. 

  Do I have to submit my tax credit and funding program applications online?

  Program applications MUST be submitted online via OAP by the program deadline. If you are unsure about whether you must submit your application online, please visit the webpage for the program or tax incentive in which you are planning to submit an application for. As of April 1, 2011, all tax credit applications must be submitted online via OAP.

• 7. 

  Will I be able to start an application and come back to it at a later date?

  Yes, the Portal allows you to start any application, read over the requirements and supporting documents, save the application and return to it at a later date. Therefore, there is no harm in starting an application early as you are not forced to submit until the entire application is complete.

• 8. 

  If my Articles of Incorporation or other corporation documents are already on file at Ontario Creates , will I need to resubmit those under Supporting Documents?

  Yes, we do require that companies submit their articles of incorporation or other corporation documents with every application. However, we have provided you with a Corporate Documents Library within the Portal that allows you to upload these documents that you will be using frequently once. Once uploaded into the documents library, you will be able to reference them within each application so that you no longer need to look for them on your computer. They will be stored securely on the Portal.

• 9. 

  What is the difference between a Corporate Administrator and a Portal User on the Online Application Portal?

  Please download and read this document for a more detailed comparison of a Corporate Administrator vs. a Portal User on OAP. This will help you determine the best way to setup your Corporate Profile.

• 10. 

  I just received an email notification regarding a new request for one of my applications on the Portal. How do view and respond to it?

  Follow these steps to view and respond to requests (action items) on the Portal:

  1. Logon to the portal (https://apply.ontariocreates.ca)
  2. Requests (action items) can be viewed in one of two ways:
     1. From your dashboard: scroll down to see your list of Action Items. Click View All at the bottom right of that table to see your full list of Action Items. Select the date in the first column to access the request.
     2. From the application: navigate to the APPLICATIONS tab, find and click into the application to view all action items related to that application. Click on the date in the first column of the action items table to view/respond to the request.
  3. Once you’re in the request, you’ll find that it may or may not contain one or more request details (tasks). If an action item has multiple request details, each request detail must be addressed separately (step 4). Otherwise, simply respond to the request via the ‘Reply’ text editor and upload any documents requested by Ontario Creates and click ‘Submit’.
  4. If the Request has multiple tasks, respond to each task by follow these steps:
     1. a. Use the ‘Reply’ text editor to enter any further information, or to provide the information that was requested of you. This ‘Reply’ field is mandatory and you must type a note in order to submit your response.
     2. b. Use the upload control underneath the text editor to attach documents. If you need to upload multiple documents, click the ‘Add another document’ button to open up another upload control. Please note that you MUST specify in the ‘Replace File’ field whether the document you are uploading is a replacement of a file that has already been submitted for that document item or whether there is ‘No File to Replace’. Be sure to select an option as you will not be able to submit your response unless you have done so.
     3. c. When you have completed your response to the task, click ‘Submit’. Repeat steps a – c until all tasks within the request have been addressed.
• 11. 

  I have already submitted an application for the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit (OFTTC) to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility, how do I apply for the Letter of Confirmation (LOC) for the same production?

  1. Logon to the Portal (https://apply.ontariocreates.ca)
  2. Click START NEW APPLICATION on your dashboard.
  3. Select the company in which you would like to submit the application for (if it has yet to be registered, please go to the CORPORATE PROFILE to register it).
  4. Select LOC (Letter of Confirmation) from the list of available tax credits in STEP 2 (instead of OFTTC).
  5. Follow the wizard until you get to the LOC application form.
  6. Once you are in the application, you will be asked for the PRODUCTION TITLE, FILE # and Certificate #. If you have not received your Certificate (COE) yet, just enter TBD. But you should have a file number from the original COE application.
  7. Attach your documents into the ‘Supporting Documents’ section and submit the application.