Ontario has set a new provincial record for government advertising, spending nearly $112 million in the last fiscal year — surpassing the previous year’s high and drawing sharp criticism from Auditor General Shelley Spence, who says a significant portion of the ads would have been deemed partisan under former rules.
Spence’s annual report, released Tuesday, reveals that between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, the province spent $111.9 million on advertising, roughly $8.4 million more than the year before. Nearly half of that went toward television ads, with the remainder spread across digital platforms, radio, and print. The increase coincides with the February 2025 provincial election, a pattern the auditor noted aligns with historical spikes in government promotional spending during election years.
One of the most costly initiatives was a major U.S.-focused campaign aimed at promoting Ontario during early trade discussions. Valued at about $40.1 million, the ads ran during prime-time slots on major American networks including CNN and Fox News. These figures do not include the widely criticized Ronald Reagan-themed anti-tariff commercial that ran during the World Series in October, which carried an initial $75 million price tag and was halted after objections from the White House. That ad fell outside the fiscal year covered by the report.
Although the U.S. campaign met advertising standards, many domestic ads did not — at least not under the rules that existed before legislative changes a decade ago. In 2014, the Liberal government amended the Government Advertising Act, limiting the auditor general’s authority to block ads unless they explicitly featured a political party, partisan symbols, or elected officials. Spence reiterated that the older rules provided better protection against governments using taxpayer money to boost their image.
Under those previous standards, nine of the Ford government’s campaigns last year would have been rejected as partisan, including the high-cost “It’s Happening Here” ads, which portrayed the province as thriving with job growth and bigger paycheques. Spence said those messages lacked concrete information about programs or services and appeared designed to improve public perception of the government. Similar concerns were raised about ads touting affordability savings, infrastructure plans, and health-care improvements — with the auditor noting that many claims were vague, unsubstantiated, or referenced projects not yet underway.
The report also flagged a $1.4 million campaign promoting alcohol modernization, released during labour unrest at the LCBO. Spence said it likely would not have passed review under the original legislation, given its timing and messaging around where alcohol could be purchased outside LCBO stores.
In total, approximately $43 million — roughly 38 per cent of all advertising dollars — went toward ads Spence said would have been considered partisan under past rules. The auditor does not review digital or social media advertising, which accounted for another $9.3 million in spending. Billboard and construction-site signage also remain exempt from oversight, a loophole previously criticized by the auditor.
The Ministry of Economic Development was the largest advertiser, spending more than $53 million, followed by the Ministry of Finance at $32.6 million. Several other ministries, including Agriculture, Health, Energy, Transportation, Labour, and Immigration, each spent more than $1 million.
Spence’s report underscores longstanding concerns about political influence in government advertising. Despite repeated calls to restore the auditor general’s veto powers, the Progressive Conservative government has shown no indication it plans to revisit the legislation.