TORONTO — Ontario taxpayers funded nearly $10 million in advertising by the Ministry of Energy during the 2025-26 fiscal year, according to records obtained through a freedom of information request.The records, first reported by The Trillium, show the ministry spent $9.93 million producing and distributing advertisements under the provincial government's "Protect Ontario" branding campaign.The spending represented a significant increase from the ministry's advertising budget in the previous fiscal year. According to Ontario's auditor general, the ministry spent approximately $2.1 million on advertising in 2024-25.Documents obtained through the freedom of information system indicate the ministry spent about $835,000 on advertisement production. Most of those costs were categorized as "creative and production services for Protect Ontario advertising."More than $9 million was allocated to the placement of advertisements across television, radio, digital platforms, billboards, and social media. Roughly $7 million was paid to media-buying agency GroupM for television, radio, and digital advertising placements. Additional funds were directed to technology companies including Google, Meta, and Amazon.The records show that the majority of the ministry's advertising expenditures occurred during February and March 2026, near the end of the fiscal year. During that period, the government launched a new Protect Ontario television commercial highlighting nuclear energy, critical minerals, and mining development initiatives..It remains unclear whether the Ministry of Energy directly funded that specific advertisement.The disclosed spending may not represent the ministry's total advertising costs for the year. At the time, the Ministry of Mines was administratively grouped with the Ministry of Energy, now known as the Ministry of Energy and Mines. The records released through the freedom of information process were described as relating only to the energy portion of the ministry's operations.Questions from The Trillium regarding the ministry's advertising expenditures were referred to the office of Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy. A spokesperson responded that final government advertising expenditures would be reflected in Ontario's public accounts.The Ministry of Energy is one of several government departments that have funded and produced advertisements under the Protect Ontario banner. Total spending on the campaign across all ministries has not been publicly disclosed.Ontario's auditor general has previously reported record levels of provincial advertising spending under Premier Doug Ford's government. In the 2024-25 fiscal year, government advertising expenditures reached approximately $111.9 million, the highest annual total recorded during the current administration.The auditor general's review found that about 38 per cent of that spending, or approximately $43 million, was directed toward campaigns deemed to foster a positive impression of the governing party.The Ministry of Energy's advertising campaign during 2024-25 operated under the slogan "It's Happening Here" and featured workers in clean energy, mining, electric vehicle manufacturing, and automotive production sectors.In her review, the auditor general stated those advertisements targeted a general audience and did not provide information about specific government services or programs. The report concluded the advertisements appeared designed to improve public perceptions of Ontario's economic conditions, which the auditor general said could have the effect of promoting the governing party.
