TORONTO — The Ontario government spent at least $1.45 million manufacturing and installing promotional road signs between 2021 and 2025, according to freedom of information records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.The signs, placed alongside provincial roads and highways, promoted government infrastructure projects and featured a blue background similar in colour to the logo of the governing Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.According to the records, the Ministry of Transportation spent $458,273 on manufacturing the signs and $990,597 on installation costs. The federation calculated the average cost per sign at approximately $28,409.The ministry disclosed records for 51 promotional signs, though installation costs for 26 of those signs were not provided.In a statement released Monday, Canadian Taxpayers Federation Ontario director Noah Jarvis criticized the spending and called on Premier Doug Ford to reduce government advertising expenditures.“Ford should stop wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on overpriced promotional signs,” Jarvis said. “The government is wasting money on self-promotion instead of doing the basics like filling potholes and cutting wasteful spending.”.The federation estimated the $1.45 million could have funded repairs for approximately 58,000 potholes. It also compared the cost of a single sign to the potential reach of digital advertising campaigns on social media platforms.The report comes as Ontario’s advertising spending has increased in recent years. Ontario’s auditor general reported the provincial government spent $111.9 million on advertising during the 2024-25 fiscal year, though the report did not include spending on promotional road signs.Jarvis said the government should disclose the full cost of the signage program.“Ford recklessly spending money littering the province with promotional road signs symbolizes how this government treats taxpayer dollars,” Jarvis said. “The Ford government needs to be honest with Ontarians and reveal the full cost of its self-promotional signs to taxpayers.”
