The Ford government in Ontario is currently engaged in an extensive advertising blitz, flooding airwaves and televisions with commercials universally concluding with the evocative phrase, “Protect Ontario” — a direct echo of the Progressive Conservatives’ election slogan. Yet, a cloud of opacity hangs over this significant government ad spending; the exact number of unique campaigns and their collective burden on taxpayers remains shrouded in mystery.
Global News’ persistent inquiries to the premier’s office for a comprehensive list of these diverse campaigns and their respective budgetary allocations have met with resounding silence. Reports indicate a flurry of active promotions: one champions the vision for developing the mineral-rich Ring of Fire, another extols plans for small nuclear reactors, and still others broadly discuss infrastructure development. Such a profusion of advertisements leads many to believe the current government ad spending could easily eclipse last year’s record-setting provincial expenditure.
The Mounting Cost of Government Ad Spending
“It certainly appears the province is on track for an even higher ad spend,” remarked Ontario Liberal finance critic Stephanie Bowman, speaking to Global News. “This merely reinforces the notion that they are simply pretending to protect Ontario.” Indeed, the Auditor General Shelley Spence’s annual financial review for the fiscal year ending March 2025 revealed an astonishing $111.9 million poured into advertising, a significant $8.4 million jump from the prior year, which had itself marked a historic high. The most substantial campaigns during that period included U.S. partnership commercials aired across major American networks and the ongoing “It’s Happening Here” domestic campaign.
Bowman vehemently questioned the rationale behind such lavish expenditure, particularly in a year where the government recorded a staggering $13.8 billion deficit—a more than 75 per cent surge from the preceding year. “This is just another instance of Ontario taxpayers footing the bill for this administration to pat itself on the back,” she asserted.
Premier Doug Ford, however, staunchly defends his government’s aggressive advertising strategy. He insists it is paramount for citizens to comprehend how their money is being utilized. He even hinted recently at the launch of an additional health-care commercial campaign. “We need to get out there and start informing people about what we’re accomplishing in health care, because we are doing so much,” he stated in March. “I believe we must disseminate information, be it via social media or commercials or whatever means, because people are entitled to know what we’re doing. They deserve insight into how their tax dollars are being spent, and I can tell you, we are investing a fortune right now (in health care).” Despite this, the government maintains that the precise cost of each campaign will only be unveiled through the labyrinthine annual public accounts process, rather than proactive disclosure. This lack of transparency around government ad spending is a critical point of contention.
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles minced no words, accusing the government of squandering public funds solely to burnish its own image. “Premier Ford and his team are far from the prudent fiscal managers they purport to be,” she declared in a formal statement. “How do they reconcile this with channeling billions into ludicrous vanity projects and millions into partisan advertisements designed to gaslight the populace, all while plunging Ontario into an unprecedented deficit, simultaneously as our hospitals and schools desperately plead for assistance? The chasm between the Ford government’s rhetoric and its actions is truly immense.”
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