TORONTO — The Ford government spent a record $117 million on advertising in 2025-26, according to freedom of information records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.The total exceeded the previous high of $111.9 million set in 2024-25 and was more than double the $62.5 million spent by the Wynne government in 2017-18. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Premier Doug Ford to cut the advertising budget and restore stricter pre-2015 rules on partisan ads.“The Ford government is flooding taxpayers with a bunch of advertisements to promote itself,” said Noah Jarvis, CTF Ontario director. “Taxpayers aren’t benefitting from the explosion in advertising spending, but we’re the ones picking up the tab.”Much of the spending would have violated older rules that limited the use of taxpayer money for partisan advertising, the federation said. The government spent $52 million on five “Protect Ontario” campaigns across four ministries. The Progressive Conservatives used the same slogan during the 2025 provincial election campaign..The government also extended several campaigns the auditor general had previously flagged under the old rules. The auditor general said the “Affordability” advertisements were “designed to improve Ontarians’ impression of the state of Ontario, the subtext of which promotes the governing party.” The Ford government spent $1.8 million on that campaign.Other campaigns previously flagged and later extended included the “Healthcare Services” campaign, the “Skilled Trades” campaign, and the “It’s Happening Here” campaign, which was renamed “Protect Ontario: Energy.” Those campaigns cost nearly $14 million combined.The previous Liberal government amended the Government Advertising Act in 2015 to restrict partisan advertising and give the auditor general greater oversight. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation wants those rules restored.“The Ford government’s ad spending is enough to build almost six elementary schools but was instead spent on self-promotion,” Jarvis said. “Ford needs to stop the self-promotional advertising, cut the ad budget, and bring back rules to restrict partisan advertising.”
