The Government of Ontario set a new record for advertising expenditure in the last fiscal year, pouring $111.9 million into campaigns aimed at both domestic and American audiences. This finding comes from the 2025 annual report released by Auditor-General Shelley Spence, which also raises significant concerns about the use of public funds for partisan promotion.
Record Spending and a Costly U.S. Campaign
The total advertising spend for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which ended in March 2025, marked an increase of $8.4 million over the previous year. The single most expensive initiative was the "US Partnerships" campaign, which cost taxpayers $40.1 million. This effort targeted American policy-makers through TV, print, and digital media during preliminary trade negotiations in early 2025, with $33 million dedicated to prime-time slots on major networks like CNN and Fox.
However, a subsequent ad campaign featuring former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, which Premier Doug Ford stated would cost $75 million, is not included in this audit. That advertisement, which aired briefly in late October 2025, prompted President Donald Trump to cancel trade talks with Canada on October 23. While Prime Minister Mark Carney apologized for the ad, negotiations have not resumed.
Auditor Flags "Self-Promotion" in Domestic Campaigns
The auditor's report identified several domestic campaigns that, in its view, primarily aim to boost the image of the governing party. The second-largest campaign, "It's Happening Here," cost $19.2 million and promoted Ontario's electric vehicle supply chain and economic benefits with claims like "More people are working today than ever before."
Other notable expenditures included $7.9 million on highways and infrastructure ads, $7.5 million on affordability messaging, and smaller sums for health care, skilled trades, and alcohol modernization campaigns. The auditor stated that six campaigns, including "It's Happening Here," would not have complied with a stricter, pre-2015 version of the Government Advertising Act.
"These are advertising campaigns where, in our evaluation, the primary objective of the advertising is to foster a positive impression of the governing party," the report concluded. The Auditor-General has recommended reinstating the older, tougher law and expanding oversight to all government digital ads, but noted "the government has not implemented our recommendations."
Additional Audit Findings: PPE Stockpile and Environmental Rights
The comprehensive report also scrutinized other areas of provincial management. It found widespread inefficiencies in Ontario's stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE), managed by the agency Supply Ontario. In 2024-25, the province wrote off $29 million in expired PPE while spending another $69 million to buy more.
Auditors warn that long-term pandemic contracts are forcing the province to purchase obsolete equipment. For instance, it bought 188 million surgical masks in 2024-25 but distributed only 39 million. If usage patterns don't change, nearly 500 million masks worth $126 million will expire unused by 2030-31.
Furthermore, the audit confirms the Ford government has continued to violate Ontario's Environmental Bill of Rights. The province failed to properly consult the public on a bill that barred Toronto and other municipalities from enforcing green building standards and exempted major projects like Highway 413 and Ontario Place from the law's requirements.