v.
to subsidize.
Type: 5. Frequency — The verb bonus is used to describe the act of offering 'extra money, property or stock as an inducement to build or establish something' (see DCHP-1, s.v. "bonus"). The term likely derives from the noun "bonus", as one of its senses is "a government subsidy to an industry" (see W-3, AHD-5, ITP Nelson). Its use in Canada is likely a result of the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, hence the expression "bonus the line" (see 1883 quotation). Accordingly, Gage-5 defines bonus as 'offer a bonus for (work to be done, as for the construction of a railway line); subsidize' which is mared Canadian and derives from ( L bonus good) . Similarly the OED's earliest attestation for this verbial form concerns railroads and how they have been "bonused by State money and land grants".
See also Gage-1, s.v. "bonus" (v.), which is marked "Cdn.".