The cost of Government Spin: $111.9 million in 2024-25

By Pepper Parr

April 8th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

The New Leaf Liberals, that band of Liberals that want to see big changes in the structure of the Liberal Party  meet regularly and put out statements from time to time.  Today, they want to point to the Doug Ford Progressive Conservative, spending on advertising

The Doug Ford didn’t pay for this billboard advertisement

“While Ontario families are feeling the pinch of a $13.8 billion deficit and a healthcare system in crisis, Doug Ford’s government has found plenty of money for one thing: themselves.

“The latest Auditor General’s report has confirmed a staggering new record. In the 2024-25 fiscal year, the provincial government blew $111.9 million on government advertising – the highest amount ever recorded in Ontario’s history.”

The Cost of “Spin”

“This isn’t just about “information.” The Auditor General flagged that many of these campaigns – including the ubiquitous “It’s Happening Here” and massive $40 million TV buys in the United States – would never have passed the original non-partisan standards.”

“To put that $111.9 million in perspective, it could have:

• • Built New Schools: In late 2025, the province announced a new elementary school in Tottenham at a cost of $20.2 million. The ad budget alone could have built five or six modern, high-quality schools in fast-growing communities like Brampton or Milton.
  • Hired Nurses: this money could have funded the annual salaries of over 1,430 full-time nurses to help alleviate ER wait times.
  • LTC Spaces: We could have seen roughly 500 to 700 new long-term care beds fully funded and built with this money.

The “Sylvia Jones” Standard

“Perhaps the most frustrating part of this record-breaking waste is the blatant hypocrisy from the front benches of the PC cabinet.

Sylvia Jones herself spreading the good news: What she once said and what she is saying now. This looks like a piece of bread buttered on both sides.

The thing about the past is that it never stays there.

“Back in 2017, when she was in Opposition, current Health Minister Sylvia Jones was one of the loudest voices railing against taxpayer-funded ads. She even introduced the End the Public Funding of Partisan Government Advertising Act, claiming:

“Having taxpayers foot the bill for self-congratulatory and misleading ads is unacceptable… This is taxpayer money that should be going towards desperately needed hydro relief for families, businesses and hospitals.”

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