“This starts with safeguarding our most vulnerable, which is why we are exempting the Canada Disability Benefit as income so people who rely on social assistance receive the benefit without seeing any reductions in their social assistance payments.”
A regulation in force July 1, 2025 lists Canada Disability Benefit payments as income not counted under ODSP, and the Ontario Works directives also exempt it.
O. Reg. 77/25, filed May 29, 2025 and in force July 1, 2025, added 'A Canada Disability Benefit payment under the Canada Disability Benefit Act' to the income ODSP does not count under s. 42 of O. Reg. 222/98. That date matched the first federal CDB payments. Ontario Works policy directive 5.1 likewise lists CDB payments as exempt income. As a result, the federal benefit of up to $200 a month is not deducted from ODSP or Ontario Works payments.
“investment of $97M to support hosting the 2026 FIFA world Cup in Toronto remains unchanged.”
Spokesperson for Sport Minister Neil Lumsden, · Statement to CTV News/CP24
What happened · Feb 11, 2026
Toronto and Ontario signed a contribution agreement for the full $97 million in February 2026, before the tournament. The split between cash and provincial services was left to be finalized, and Toronto disputed that split.
In a letter dated December 2023, the province made a conditional commitment of up to $97 million in funding and in-kind services toward Toronto's estimated $380 million cost to host six matches. In May 2025, the city said about $40 million of that would go to provincial services such as policing, paramedics and transit, more than it expected. Mayor Olivia Chow called this a "clawback". The province said the $97 million had always included its services and refused to add more. In January 2026 the agreement was still unsigned. On February 11, 2026, the city confirmed it had signed the contribution agreement for the full $97 million. A city spokesperson said the allocation between cash and in-kind services was still "to be finalized". Provincial releases in May and June 2026 describe the Centennial Park training site and Fan Festival spending as part of the $97 million. Toronto's final World Cup financial report is expected in early 2027.
“In the face of President Trump's attacks on Ontario's economy, our government will do whatever it takes to protect Ontario workers and businesses. Today's measures will help give workers and businesses the support they need in the face of growing economic uncertainty.”
Both measures happened: taxes could be deferred from April 1 to October 1, 2025, and WSIB credited a second $2 billion surplus rebate to safe employers by October 31, 2025.
The April 7, 2025 release promised about $11 billion: a six-month deferral of select provincial business taxes, giving about $9 billion in cash flow, and a further $2 billion WSIB rebate for safe employers. The 2025 Fall Economic Statement confirmed the interest- and penalty-free deferral ran from April 1 to October 1, 2025 across 10 tax programs, offering up to $9 billion in liquidity to about 80,000 businesses. WSIB announced on November 3, 2025 that every eligible safe employer had received its share of the $2 billion fall rebate by October 31, 2025. The rebate came later than first expected because of a WSIB strike.
U.S. alcohol was pulled from the LCBO on March 4, 2025 and was still off the shelves as of mid-September 2026, with U.S. tariffs still in place.
On March 4, 2025, the LCBO removed more than 3,600 American products from its stores and catalogue on the government's orders. Ford repeated the pledge many times as the U.S. pressed for the ban to end, including on April 22, 2026, when he said "American alcohol will only go back on shelves when the U.S. removes its tariffs". In August 2026 the Star reported the LCBO was getting ready to restock in case a trade deal was reached, but the talks collapsed. On September 18, 2026, CityNews reported that the government was still keeping U.S. alcohol off LCBO shelves. CBC reported that about $79 million of U.S. stock was still in LCBO warehouses, at a storage cost of about $8 million.
“An additional $300 million to more than double the Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund for a total of $500 million, supporting the construction of local arenas, soccer fields, rinks, community centres and increased seniors programming.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · Mar 26, 2026
The 2026 Budget added $300 million over six years to the fund, bringing it to $500 million in total.
The 2025 Budget did not include the top-up. The 2026 Budget (March 26, 2026) provided "an additional $300 million over six years" for the Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund. On March 31, 2026 Sport Minister Neil Lumsden announced the top-up in Kitchener and said it brings total program funding to $500 million. The fund was launched in 2024 with $200 million, and the release says that round supported 94 projects. The release said eligibility and application guidelines for the new money would be released later in 2026.
“Investing $300 million to expand the Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit to support more businesses that invest in buildings, machinery and equipment that are used for manufacturing and processing in Ontario, including investments to retool and onshore supply chains.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · Nov 27, 2025
Bill 68 raised the credit from 10% to 15% and extended a 15% non-refundable version to public and foreign-controlled corporations, an estimated $1.3 billion over three years. It received royal assent on November 27, 2025.
On May 5, 2025 the government announced it would raise the refundable credit for Canadian-controlled private corporations from 10% to 15%, up to $3 million a year. It would also give other corporations, including publicly traded companies, a 15% non-refundable version. The government estimated the cost at $1.3 billion over three years, more than four times the platform's $300 million. The 2025 Budget (May 15, 2025) proposed both changes for eligible investments made from May 15, 2025 until the end of 2029. Bill 68, the Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2025 (No. 2), enacted them in the Taxation Act, 2007: a new section 53.3 for the expanded credit and changes to section 97.2. The bill received royal assent on November 27, 2025. The Ministry of Finance's credit page says the amendments were implemented that day.
“$500 million to create a new Critical Minerals Processing Fund that would accelerate development of processing projects, attract private capital investment and speed up the development of key strategic projects across the critical mineral supply chain.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · Dec 12, 2025
The $500 million fund was put in the 2025 Budget, launched through Invest Ontario on December 12, 2025, and made its first award in September 2026.
The 2025 Budget (May 15, 2025) committed $500 million to create the Critical Minerals Processing Fund. The government officially launched the fund on December 12, 2025, run by Invest Ontario. On September 18, 2026 it named the first recipient: $11 million toward Generation Mining's $410 million copper and palladium processing complex in Marathon. The province said the project would support 800 construction jobs and more than 450 permanent jobs. As of that announcement, $11 million of the $500 million had been committed publicly.
Named first recipient of the Critical Minerals Processing Fund: the province is investing $11 million toward its $410 million copper and palladium processing complex in Marathon.
“$705 million to expand training capacity in our world-class publicly funded colleges and universities to prepare thousands of additional students for in-demand roles in critical sectors. This includes: $450 million to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs at publicly funded colleges and universities, expanding the number of funded seats by over 20,000 annually. $150 million to enhance the In-Class Enhancement Fund (IEF), resulting in nearly 5,000 additional seats annually for in-class apprenticeship training. $75 million to support construction skilled trades programs at publicly funded colleges and universities to create 2,600 new funded seats in priority construction and infrastructure related programs. $30 million for an expansion of the Pre-Apprenticeship Programs to help more potential entrants to the apprenticeship system get job-ready in trades, sectors and regions experiencing a skills shortage.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · Aug 15, 2025
The government funded $750 million for up to 20,500 STEM seats a year and $75 million for construction seats, more than the $705 million total on their own, and expanded the In-Class Enhancement Fund in the 2025 Budget.
On April 22, 2025 the government announced $750 million to fund up to 20,500 STEM seats per year at colleges and universities. That is more than the $450 million promised. The money flows through the institutions' 2025-2030 funding agreements. The 2025 Budget (May 15, 2025) confirmed this as $750 million over five years. The Budget also put $75 million over three years into up to 2,600 new construction-program seats a year. It added $159.3 million over three years for skilled trades programs, including an expanded In-Class Enhancement Fund for apprentices. On August 15, 2025 the government allocated the $75 million to fund up to 7,500 new college and Indigenous Institute construction seats and 300 graduate planning seats by 2028.
“Banning the Liberals’ proposed “congestion charging” on all roads and highways in Ontario, given it’s a toll by another name, and building on previous legislation that banned any new road tolls in Ontario.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · Jun 5, 2025
The 2025 budget bill (Bill 24, Royal Assent June 5, 2025) took away the power of Toronto and all other municipalities to toll roads, 'including for the purpose of easing congestion'.
Tolls on new provincial highways were already banned by earlier legislation. Bill 24, the Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2025, replaced section 41 of the City of Toronto Act, 2006 and section 40 of the Municipal Act, 2001. Before the change, Toronto could toll a road only once the province made an enabling regulation, and other municipalities had their own tolling provisions. Now the City of Toronto and every other municipality 'does not have the power to designate, operate or maintain a highway as a toll highway'. The law adds that this applies 'regardless of' the purpose, 'including for the purpose of easing congestion on such highway'. Both schedules took effect on Royal Assent, June 5, 2025. This covers the municipal roads where a congestion charge would apply, so together with the existing provincial-highway toll ban, the promise is in law.
“Launch the Pothole Prevention Fund, which will support municipalities with road maintenance funds to help make Ontario roads safer and prevent accidents and vehicle damage that can occur from potholes.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · Nov 10, 2025
The province launched a $10-million Pothole Prevention and Repair Program on November 10, 2025. It is open only to municipalities of 10,000 people or fewer, with up to $38,000 each.
The platform gave no dollar figure and no eligibility rules. The program that launched on November 10, 2025 is called the Pothole Prevention and Repair Program and is worth $10 million. Only single- and lower-tier municipalities with 10,000 people or fewer can apply. The province says 263 of Ontario's 444 municipalities qualify. Each can get up to $38,000 for 2025–26. Applications closed December 12, 2025. Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, Hamilton and every other larger city are excluded, which includes the GTHA municipalities where the platform's gridlock section focused. The province's release says Bill 212, the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024, already committed the government to consult municipalities on the program.
“Launching a new $3 billion First Nations Opportunities Financing Program that would triple the province’s existing $1 billion Aboriginal Loan Guarantee Program to support First Nations equity participation in more sectors, including electricity, critical minerals, resource development and related infrastructure components, offering generational economic opportunities for First Nations in Ontario.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · May 15, 2025
The 2025 Budget relaunched the $1 billion Aboriginal Loan Guarantee Program as the $3 billion Indigenous Opportunities Financing Program, open to energy, critical minerals and resource development.
The 2025 Budget (May 15, 2025) relaunched the $1 billion Aboriginal Loan Guarantee Program as the $3 billion Indigenous Opportunities Financing Program. It widened eligibility beyond electricity to energy, pipelines, mining and critical minerals, resource development and other sectors. Administration moved from the Ontario Financing Authority to the Building Ontario Fund on October 1, 2025. The Building Ontario Fund's program page lists energy, resource development and critical minerals as eligible sectors. It says the fund is still consulting Indigenous partners on the financing criteria and the types of guarantees offered.
The seven Williams Treaties First Nations' $700 million investment in the Darlington New Nuclear Project is supported by a provincial guarantee through the Indigenous Opportunities Financing Program, alongside a federal guarantee (Ontario and Finance Canada releases, June 23, 2026).
Bamkushwada LP raised its equity stake in the East-West Tie transmission line from 3.5% to 20% with a provincial guarantee of up to $75 million under the Indigenous Opportunities Financing Program (Ontario Newsroom, May 29, 2026).
Lexpert reports Ontario announced a provincial Indigenous Opportunities Financing Program guarantee on February 27, 2026 supporting the Saugeen Ojibway Nation's $250 million investment in its expanded Bruce Power partnership, the largest guarantee of its kind since the program began. The Ontario release itself was not retrieved.
“Removing red tape and helping those who want to work in Ontario with new “As of Right” rules to become the first province in Canada to allow health-care workers registered in other provinces and territories to immediately start caring for you, without having to first register with one of Ontario’s health regulatory colleges.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · Jan 1, 2026
Bill 56 passed on November 3, 2025. From January 1, 2026, the As of Right rules cover 16 more health professions, and doctors' and nurses' out-of-province licences are recognized automatically.
Ontario already had As of Right rules before the campaign. Since 2023 they had let nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists and medical lab technologists from other provinces work in Ontario for up to six months while they registered. On October 16, 2025 the government said it would expand the rules, and Bill 56, the Building a More Competitive Economy Act, 2025, amended the Regulated Health Professions Act to do so. It received Royal Assent on November 3, 2025. On January 1, 2026 the rules were extended to 16 more regulated health professions, including pharmacists, dentists, dental hygienists, psychologists and midwives. Ontario's physician and nurse regulators were also set as the bodies whose applicants have their home-province licences automatically recognized. Separately, Bill 2 (Royal Assent June 5, 2025) amended the Ontario Labour Mobility Act. That set up a broader As of Right deemed-certification system for non-health regulated jobs, which also took effect on January 1, 2026. Under the health rules, a worker can practise for one six-month period without first registering, but must register with the Ontario college before that period ends.
“Continuing to expand access to fertility services and provide a new tax credit to help more people start and grow their families.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · Jun 5, 2025
Bill 24 created the Ontario Fertility Treatment Tax Credit, which received Royal Assent on June 5, 2025. It is refundable and pays back 25% of eligible costs paid from January 1, 2025, up to $5,000 a year.
The 2025 Ontario Budget (May 15, 2025) proposed the Ontario Fertility Treatment Tax Credit. Bill 24, the Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2025, added it to the Taxation Act, 2007 as a refundable credit worth 25 per cent of up to $20,000 in eligible fertility treatment expenses. The bill received Royal Assent on June 5, 2025. Ontario's guidance says the credit covers expenses for fertility treatment, fertility preservation and surrogacy paid on or after January 1, 2025, for goods and services provided in Canada. The maximum is $5,000 a year, and it can be claimed on 2025 tax returns.
“Require all Ontario medical schools to allocate at least 95 per cent of all undergraduate medical school seats to residents of Ontario, with the other five per cent reserved for students from the rest of Canada.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · Jul 1, 2025
The requirement took effect on July 1, 2025. Universities must admit at least 95% Ontario residents to MD programs and fill the rest with Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons.
This was first announced on October 25, 2024, before the election. The rule was added to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act as section 16.0.1. It says at least 95 per cent of students admitted to a publicly assisted medical health education program each year must be ordinarily resident in Ontario. O. Reg. 130/25, made June 26, 2025, defines 'medical health education program' and 'ordinarily resident in Ontario' and came into force on July 1, 2025. The Ontario Universities' Application Centre now tells medical school applicants that, from July 1, 2025, at least 95 per cent of admissions are reserved for Ontario residents and the other 5 per cent for Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons. In September 2026 Queen's University said 95 per cent of its current MD students are from Ontario and the rest are from other provinces.
“Removing all of Ontario's remaining party-specific exemptions following a final assessment under the Canada Free Trade Agreement and encouraging all other provinces to follow suit.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · Apr 16, 2025
On April 16, 2025 Ontario said it was removing all of its party-specific exceptions under the CFTA. CFIB later gave Ontario an A+ for having removed every one.
On April 16, 2025, alongside Bill 2, the government said Ontario was 'becoming the first province in Canada to remove all its party-specific exceptions (PSEs) under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) without exception'. Contemporary coverage, including BLG's legal analysis, counted 23 such exceptions. In its 2026 internal trade report card, released July 15, 2026, CFIB said Ontario was 'one of only two jurisdictions to receive an A+ for removing all Canadian Free Trade Agreement exceptions'. In the report card's table, Ontario scores 10.0 (A+) on CFTA exceptions.
“Up to $120 million to support approximately 18,000 eligible bars and restaurants by increasing their LCBO wholesale discount from 10 per cent to 15 per cent.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · May 26, 2025
The LCBO raised the discount from 10% to 15% on May 26, 2025. It was a temporary measure and ended on December 31, 2025.
Through the 2025 Ontario Budget, the LCBO raised its wholesale discount from 10 to 15 per cent for bars, restaurants and the rest of the hospitality sector, effective May 26, 2025. Licensed convenience stores and LCBO Convenience Outlets got the same increase. It was set to last until December 31, 2025. The higher discount expired then, and the rate went back to 10 per cent on January 1, 2026, the day the LCBO became Ontario's sole alcohol wholesaler. The platform did not promise any particular length of time.
“Investing $530 million to create 27 new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs across the province to support people struggling with addiction and mental health issues by focusing on addiction recovery and supportive housing solutions instead of supporting further hard drug use at drug injection sites.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · Oct 2, 2026
All of the promised hubs are open, plus two more. The 29th, in Kingston, opened on October 2, 2026.
The government had already announced the 27-hub, $529-million plan on January 27, 2025, before the campaign, with a goal of having every hub running by April 1, 2025. The platform repeated that plan. The network later grew to 28 hubs and then 29. On October 2, 2026 the province said the new Kingston hub had opened, replacing the last provincially funded drug injection site. It said all 29 HART hubs were now open, backed by more than $560 million, and had served more than 46,000 clients since April 2025. HART hubs do not offer supervised consumption, safer supply or needle exchange.
“Investing $73 million to speed up construction on the Gardiner Expressway by more than a year.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · Oct 27, 2025
All six lanes between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue reopened on October 27, 2025. The province and city put that at 18 months ahead of the original schedule.
The $73 million was committed in July 2024, before the campaign. The money was conditional on the City of Toronto allowing construction around the clock. The platform repeated the commitment. The project, Gardiner Section 2, rebuilt 700 metres of elevated expressway between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue. In April 2025 the province said work on the last two lanes had started 'months ahead' of the July 2024 accelerated schedule. On October 27, 2025 all six lanes reopened; CityNews and Mayor Olivia Chow described this as 18 months ahead of the original schedule. A provincial release on June 4, 2026 said the $73 million 'led to the completion of repairs more than 18 months ahead of schedule'. The City of Toronto's project page lists Section 2 as completed in 2026, after the lanes reopened.
“Creating a new financial literacy graduation requirement to ensure students exit Ontario’s school system with both literacy and practical financial literacy skills.”
2025 PC platform, · PC platform, Our Plan to Protect Ontario
What happened · Apr 22, 2026
The requirement was created and applies from 2026-27 to students who started Grade 9 in 2025-26 or later. They must score at least 70% on TVO modules in Grade 10 Career Studies. It was introduced a year later than first planned.
The requirement was first announced on May 30, 2024, when the government said it would start in 2025 inside the Grade 10 math course. In June 2025 Education Minister Paul Calandra paused that and some other curriculum changes to give teachers more time. On April 22, 2026 CBC reported the new design. The requirement stays in the compulsory Grade 10 Career Studies course instead of math, and it comes with a mandatory test. Ontario's financial literacy page says that, starting in the 2026-27 school year, students who began Grade 9 in 2025-26 or later must meet the requirement to earn their diploma. They complete TVO-developed modules, need at least 70 per cent, and get up to two attempts. The result counts for 5 per cent of the course mark and is recorded on the Ontario Student Transcript.
“Our PC team will save Ontario drivers thousands of dollars every year by axing tolls on Highway 407 East and making our cut to the gas tax permanent.”
Doug Ford, · 2025 campaign stop in Pickering, PC news release
What happened · Jun 1, 2025
Tolls on the provincially owned Highway 407 East were permanently removed effective June 1, 2025, and the gas tax cut was made permanent from July 1, 2025.
On May 13, 2025 the government announced it would remove tolls from Highway 407 East (Brock Road in Pickering to Highway 35/115) effective June 1, 2025. The 2025 budget bill (Bill 24, royal assent June 5, 2025) repealed the Highway 407 East Act, 2012. The 2026 Ontario Budget confirms the tolls came off June 1, 2025, and that the 5.7-cent gasoline tax cut became permanent July 1, 2025. The privately leased 407 ETR is still tolled; that was never part of this promise.
“In the meantime, we are making every effort to avoid disruption to the public and help the Ontario Science Centre continue delivering on its mandate through an interim facility, as well as alternative programming options.”
Kinga Surma, · Ministry of Infrastructure news release
What happened · Jun 29, 2026
An interim Science Centre opened at Harbourfront Centre on June 29, 2026, about two years after the Don Mills closure.
The Science Centre's KidSpark space opened at Harbourfront Centre in December 2024, and a pop-up ran at CF Sherway Gardens until January 4, 2026. On December 10, 2025, Tourism Minister Stan Cho announced that an interim location would open at Harbourfront Centre 'by summer 2026'. On June 29, 2026 the province opened the first phase of the interim site. It said the site would cover about 86,000 square feet once fully running (the Don Mills building was about 568,000 square feet) and would operate until 2029.
“Helping more people access convenient health care by investing an additional $965 million in operating funding in 2024–25, including through a four per cent increase in total base hospital operations for an unprecedented second year in a row.”
2024 Ontario Budget (Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy), · 2024 Ontario Budget
What happened · Jul 30, 2024
The $965 million, four per cent increase was allocated to hospitals in 2024-25, and the 2026 budget announced another four per cent increase.
The Ontario Hospital Association's 2024-25 review says the March 2024 budget allocated 'a four per cent increase ($965 million) in base funding for hospitals', and in July 2024 the province announced allocations to individual hospitals, with every hospital getting at least two per cent. In January 2026 the OHA said sector costs have been rising about six per cent a year, leaving a structural deficit of about $1 billion, and in March 2026 the province gave another four per cent ($1.1 billion). In September 2026 the FAO projected that the 2026 budget plan would fund 33,443 hospital beds in 2028-29, 2,407 fewer than the 35,850 funded in 2025-26. The same month, Hamilton Health Sciences said it planned to cut about 413 positions to close a projected $150 million deficit.
“At a time when many companies are posting record profits, it is only fair they communicate transparently about how they pay workers.”
David Piccini, · Announcement in Peterborough / news release
What happened · Jan 1, 2026
Since January 1, 2026, the Employment Standards Act has required employers to include expected pay or a pay range in publicly advertised job postings.
On November 6, 2023, Piccini announced legislation requiring expected salary ranges in job postings and disclosure of AI use in hiring. It was enacted as the Working for Workers Four Act, 2024 (Bill 149), which added Part III.1 to the Employment Standards Act. Section 8.2 requires postings to state expected pay or a range. Ontario Regulation 476/24 set the start date as January 1, 2026, and limited the rules to employers with 25 or more employees. A posted range can be no wider than $50,000, and the pay requirement does not apply to jobs paying over $200,000.
“At this point nothing had changed. The lands had been temporarily moved out of the Greenbelt, but no zoning had been changed, the circumstances for them had not changed, so that's why I'm not going to be offering any compensation.”
Paul Calandra, · Remarks to reporters (The Canadian Press)
What happened · Aug 28, 2026
The 2023 act that restored the lands added immunity provisions that wiped out related claims, the Court of Appeal upheld them on August 28, 2026, and no compensation payment has been reported.
The Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023 (Royal Assent December 6, 2023) 'strengthens immunity provisions', according to the ministry's decision notice. It also ended the province's 2022 settlement with Minotar Holdings. The Superior Court dismissed Minotar's constitutional challenge in March 2025. On August 28, 2026, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal 2-1. Minotar filed a separate claim in November 2025 seeking $300 million for breach of contract, and that claim has not been decided.
“As a first step to earn back your trust, I'll be reversing the changes we made and won't make any changes to the Greenbelt in the future.”
Doug Ford, · News conference, PC caucus retreat, Niagara Falls
What happened · Dec 6, 2023
The Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023 put all 15 removed sites back in the Greenbelt and made future boundary changes require an act of the legislature, and e-Laws shows no amendment to the Greenbelt Act since.
Calandra introduced Bill 136 on October 16, 2023, and it received Royal Assent on December 6, 2023. The ministry's decision notice says the act 'restore[s] the 15 areas of land that were redesignated or removed from the Greenbelt in December 2022' and 'ensures that any future changes to the Greenbelt boundary can only be made through legislation.' The Greenbelt Act, 2005 on e-Laws lists no amendment after the 2023 act (checked October 2026).
The final Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 dropped the 2023 draft's plan for up to three new residential lots per farm parcel. It keeps the older single-lot rule for a residence surplus to a farm operation.
The April 2023 draft Provincial Planning Statement would have allowed up to three new residential lots to be severed from each farm parcel in prime agricultural areas. Farm groups opposed it, and in late May 2023 the government backed off. Flack, then parliamentary assistant to the agriculture minister, told the legislature on June 1, 2023 that severances were "off the table". In July 2023, Minister Lisa Thompson told farm groups the policy would be removed from the final document. The final Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 was released on August 20, 2024 and took effect on October 20, 2024. Under policy 4.3.3, lot creation in prime agricultural areas is "discouraged". It is allowed only for agricultural uses, agriculture-related uses, infrastructure, and "one new residential lot per farm consolidation for a residence surplus to an agricultural operation". There is no three-lot severance.
“To further mitigate noise concerns, we’ve committed to placing a noise barrier around the school, and upcoming work has been detailed to the school’s parent council.”
Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney, Hansard, question period, · Hansard, question period
What happened · May 9, 2024
The TDSB confirmed that Metrolinx built the noise wall at Pape Avenue Junior Public School, and Metrolinx later posted a notice for its removal.
In a FAQ dated May 9, 2024, the Toronto District School Board said Metrolinx had changed its work in response to the school community's concerns, "including building the noise wall." Metrolinx posted a construction notice on August 28, 2025, saying crews would start removing the noise wall at the eastern edge of the school as early as September 15, 2025. The Toronto Star later reported that Ontario Line construction pushed the TDSB to relocate the school. MPP Peter Tabuns had asked the minister to hold Metrolinx to World Health Organization classroom noise standards. Mulroney answered that the province was following Ontario standards.
“By expanding and annually indexing the GAINS program, we are providing financial support to more vulnerable low-income seniors and ensuring that when their costs rise due to inflation, our support also increases.”
Peter Bethlenfalvy, Finance Minister, · 2023 Budget news release
What happened · Jul 1, 2024
The income thresholds were raised and annual indexing began on July 1, 2024, as promised.
The release said the expanded program 'would begin in July 2024'. On July 1, 2024, the maximum GAINS payment rose from $83 to $87 a month for a single senior. The annual private-income limit to qualify rose from $1,992 to $4,176 for single seniors, and from $3,984 to $8,352 for couples. The government estimated this would make about 100,000 more seniors eligible. The benefit is now adjusted each July: the maximum is $92 a month for the 2026–27 benefit year, with an income limit of $4,416 for a single senior.
“As a gesture of good faith our government is willing to rescind the legislation, are willing to rescind section 33, but only if CUPE agrees to show a similar gesture of good faith by stopping their strike, and letting our kids back into their classrooms.”
CUPE ended its walkout and the legislature passed Bill 35 on November 14, 2022, repealing Bill 28 and deeming it never to have been in force.
Bill 28, the Keeping Students in Class Act, passed on November 3, 2022. It imposed a four-year contract on 55,000 CUPE education workers, banned their strike and used the notwithstanding clause to shield the law from Charter challenge. On November 7, after workers walked out anyway, Ford offered to repeal it if CUPE ended the strike, and the union returned to work the next day. On November 14, 2022, the government tabled and passed Bill 35, which repealed Bill 28 retroactively and deemed it never to have been in force.
“With the cost of living going up, we want to give vulnerable people across Ontario more support so they can pay for life's essentials. While the Del Duca-Wynne Liberals froze ODSP rates, we're going to increase them every year tied to inflation.”
Doug Ford, · Ontario PC campaign news release, North Bay
What happened · Jul 1, 2023
ODSP core rates rose 5% in September 2022 and have been raised every July since 2023 under an inflation-indexing formula.
The re-elected government raised ODSP income support by 5% starting September 2022 (from $1,169 to about $1,227 a month for a single person). Indexing was put in place by regulation (O. Reg. 2/23, amending O. Reg. 222/98), which adjusts basic needs and shelter amounts each July 1 using Ontario CPI. Increases followed in July 2023 (6.5%), July 2024 (4.5%), July 2025 (2.8%) and July 2026 (1.9%); the province says rates are up more than 22% since September 2022. Indexing applies to core rates only. Allowances such as the Special Diet Allowance were not indexed. Ontario Works rates got neither the increase nor indexing.
“That’s why a re-elected PC government will invest $74 million to rebuild Highway 101 from the west, right over to the Porcupine Ontario Northland rail crossing in the east.”
The province's $73.8 million over eight years for the Highway 101 Connecting Link is paying for the rebuild, which the city moved up to finish in 2030.
On May 8, 2022, Ford promised in Timmins that a re-elected PC government would invest $74 million to rebuild the 21.4-km stretch of Highway 101 through the city. The money was first announced in the April 28, 2022 budget. In March 2023, Timmins council heard that the provincial funding, $73.8 million over eight years, had let the city move the project's finish date up from 2033 to 2030. In March 2025, council awarded a $21.7-million contract to rebuild Segment 13, from Crawford Street to the Porcupine River bridge, and CTV reported that the full project is expected to be done by 2030. The money is committed and the work is under way. The rebuild itself is not finished.
“Starting in spring 2023, the government will launch the new $61 million Learn and Stay Grant. Applications will open for up to 2,500 eligible postsecondary students who enrol in priority programs, such as nursing, to work in underserved communities in the region where they studied after graduation.”
Applications for the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant opened on May 16, 2023, for the 2023–24 year, as promised for spring 2023.
On January 20, 2023, the government said applications for the 2023–24 year would open that spring, 'targeting 2,500 postsecondary students'. It also widened eligibility beyond nursing to paramedic and medical laboratory technology programs. Applications opened on May 16, 2023, with $61 million set aside. The grant pays tuition, books and other direct costs up front for students in eligible programs in northern, eastern and southwestern Ontario. In return, students commit to work in the region where they studied after graduating. Applications have reopened each year since, and the program now also has a medical education stream.
“Ontario is also investing in two new medical schools in the Greater Toronto Area, including one located in Brampton, so medical students can study in the community they may choose to serve.”
Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Medicine opened in Brampton in 2025: postgraduate residents in July, and the first class of 94 MD students in September.
On September 3, 2025, the province announced it had opened the new medical school at Toronto Metropolitan University's Brampton campus, built with nearly $180 million in provincial money. The province said 176 students would start that fall. TMU says its first MD class has 94 students, chosen from more than 6,400 applicants; postgraduate residents started in July 2025. At full capacity the school is to have 94 undergraduate seats per year and 117 postgraduate entry positions. CBC reported that workers were still finishing parts of the building as the first class arrived in September 2025. The second GTA school in the budget, the University of Toronto's Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health, is not yet open. U of T said in 2022 it was 'scheduled to open in 2025'. Scarborough Health Network now says its first undergraduate MD cohort at UTSC will start in 2027.
“$300 in additional tax relief in 2022, on average, for 1.1 million lower-income workers through the proposed Low-income Individuals and Families Tax Credit enhancement”
Bill 2, the Plan to Build Act (Budget Measures), 2022, received Royal Assent on September 8, 2022. It raised the LIFT credit maximum from $850 to $875 and created the Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit, both from the 2022 tax year.
After the election, the government reintroduced the budget's tax measures as Bill 2 in August 2022, and it received Royal Assent on September 8, 2022. Bill 2 changed the Low-income Individuals and Families Tax (LIFT) Credit from the 2022 tax year: the most a person can deduct rose from $850 to $875. CityNews reported that it also raised the income limit for qualifying from $38,000 to $50,000. Bill 2 also created a refundable Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit worth up to $1,500 a year, based on eligible medical expenses. The '$300 on average' for 1.1 million workers was the government's own estimate, and no later figure confirming it was found.
The 5.7-cent gas tax cut and the 5.3-cent fuel tax cut took effect on July 1, 2022. They were extended four times and made permanent from July 1, 2025.
Bill 111, the Tax Relief at the Pumps Act, 2022, received Royal Assent on April 14, 2022. It cut the gasoline tax by 5.7 cents a litre and the diesel fuel tax by 5.3 cents for July 1 to December 31, 2022. The cuts took effect on July 1, 2022, which left Ontario's rate at 9 cents a litre. The government extended the cut four times. The 2025 budget then introduced legislation to keep the rate at 9 cents permanently, effective July 1, 2025. The province estimated the temporary cuts saved households and businesses $1.7 billion through June 2025. It now says the cut has saved households an average of $435 since 2022.
The WSIB moved its head office into the former 3M building at 300 Tartan Drive in London in June 2025. About 500 people worked there by November 2025.
On September 28, 2023, the government and the WSIB named the former 3M office at 300 Tartan Drive in London as the new head office, bought for $21 million. They said it would open in 2025 with at least 500 workers, save the WSIB $70 million a year, and generate at least 2,000 jobs in the London area over five years. The London Free Press reported the move meant a net gain of only about 100 jobs for London at first: about 400 WSIB workers were moving from the downtown London office. According to that report, the 2,000 figure referred to 'spin-off jobs in support industries'. CTV News reported on November 26, 2025 that the WSIB had been in the building since June, with close to 500 people working there, half of them relocated from offices around the province. WSIB CEO Jeffery Lang said up to 1,000 people are eventually expected there.
“work towards providing RECE program staff and supervisors with $1 per hour wage increases each year from 2023 to 2026 up to a maximum of $25 per hour”
Canada–Ontario child care agreement (Ontario's commitment), · Canada–Ontario Canada-wide child care agreement
What happened · Sep 29, 2026
Ontario raised the wage floor for registered early childhood educators in the $10-a-day system to $23.86 an hour in January 2024 and $25.86 by 2026, above the agreement's schedule ($18 in 2022 rising to $21 in 2025), and kept paying the $1-an-hour annual raises.
Under the 2022 agreement, Ontario committed to a wage floor of $18 an hour for registered early childhood educators (RECEs) in 2022, rising $1 a year to $21 in 2025, plus $1-an-hour annual raises up to $25 an hour. In November 2023, Education Minister Stephen Lecce raised the floor to $23.86 an hour from January 2024, instead of the planned $20, and promised another $1 a year through 2026. CBC reported on September 29, 2026 that the current wage floor is $25.86. The annual raise has also continued: an eligible RECE could get up to $4 an hour more in 2026, with the ceiling lifted to $28. Ontario met and beat its wage commitment. The commitment only covers RECEs in centres that joined the national program, not all child care staff.
The Digital Platform Workers' Rights Act, 2022 came into force on July 1, 2025, entitling ride-share, delivery and courier platform workers to the general minimum wage for each work assignment, excluding tips.
The minimum wage guarantee was part of the Working for Workers Act, 2022 (Bill 88), which received royal assent in April 2022. The government did not bring it into force then. It proclaimed the act on September 5, 2024, and the act took effect on July 1, 2025, more than three years after it passed. The minimum wage covers only engaged time, from accepting an assignment to completing it, not time spent waiting between assignments. CityNews reported that limit on the day the bill was announced.
“Eliminating the fee to renew your licence plate and refunding the cost of doing so for the past two years is a concrete way we can put and keep more money in the pockets of hard-working Ontarians.”
Renewal fees for passenger vehicles, light trucks, motorcycles and mopeds ended on March 13, 2022, and refund cheques went out from late March through April 2022, as promised.
Bill 84 (the Fewer Fees, Better Services Act, 2022) passed on March 3, 2022 and gave the minister power to refund validation fees paid from March 1, 2020. Fees ended on March 13, 2022, and the April 28, 2022 budget confirmed cheques were mailed from the end of March through April. Owners with unpaid fines or tolls got no cheque until they paid (the offer ran until March 13, 2024), and business-owned vehicles got no refund. The budget shows vehicle and driver registration fee revenue falling from $1.95 billion in 2020-21 to $80 million in 2021-22 because of the elimination and rebate. Announced about 14 weeks before the June 2, 2022 election, it drew Green leader Mike Schreiner's label of a "billion-dollar election boondoggle".
“This milestone will position us to get shovels in the ground for this section of the highway as soon as the spring.”
Joint statement, Rickford and Mulroney, · Joint ministers' statement, Kenora
What happened · Oct 31, 2024
On March 30, 2022, Ontario awarded the Section 1 construction contract, with work expected to begin that spring. The province says it finished twinning the 6.5-km first section in October 2024.
On March 30, 2022, the province awarded Moncrief Construction a contract worth about $31.7 million (MTO project 2021-6052) to twin the 6.5-km first section of Highway 17, from the Manitoba border to Highway 673. The government said construction was expected to begin that spring and finish by summer 2025. Moncrief lists the project as completed in fall 2024, and the province says it finished this first phase in October 2024, ahead of the contract's summer-2025 date. The other roughly 33 km to Kenora (Sections 2 and 3) is not built. As of April 2026, Section 2 was still in environmental assessment and preliminary design, with no construction timeline.
Awarded the Section 1 construction contract (Manitoba border to Highway 673, 6.5 km) to twin Highway 17 on March 30, 2022. TBNewsWatch, citing the company, put the contract at roughly $31.7 million; Moncrief's own project page lists the work (MTO project 2021-6052) as completed in fall 2024.
“To help the tourism and hospitality sectors recover, and encourage Ontario families to explore the province, the government is proposing a new temporary Ontario Staycation Tax Credit for 2022. The credit would provide an estimated $270 million to support over one-and-a-half million families to further discover Ontario.”
Ontario government (2021 Fall Economic Statement news release), · 2021 Fall Economic Statement (Build Ontario)
What happened · Dec 9, 2021
The credit was legislated in Bill 43 (Royal Assent December 9, 2021) and claimed on 2022 tax returns. The tourism ministry later said it paid about $180 million to just over 900,000 families, less than the $270 million and 1.5 million families first estimated.
The refundable credit was 20 per cent of eligible 2022 Ontario accommodation costs, up to $200 for an individual and $400 for a family. It was enacted through the Build Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2021, which received Royal Assent on December 9, 2021. On March 10, 2022, the government confirmed that stays from January 1 to December 31, 2022 qualified and that residents would claim the credit on their 2022 returns. In March 2025, a tourism ministry spokesperson told CBC the credit "provided about $180 million to just over 900,000 families". That was about two-thirds of the $270 million estimate and fewer families than projected. The credit was temporary as announced and was not renewed after 2022, despite industry requests in 2025.
The general minimum wage rose from $14.35 to $15.00 an hour on January 1, 2022, and the lower rate for liquor servers was eliminated.
On November 2, 2021, Ford announced the general minimum wage would rise to $15 an hour on January 1, 2022, and that liquor servers would get the same rate instead of $12.55. Bill 43, the Build Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2021, wrote the $15.00 rate into the Employment Standards Act and added an inflation adjustment every October 1 from 2022 on. The increase took effect on January 1, 2022. Under that indexing, the wage rose to $17.60 on October 1, 2025.
“I've always said, folks, (personal support workers) are overworked, underpaid, and they deserve every single penny, times 10. So we're going to keep that in place, the $3 an hour pay for them. It's a guarantee. We're going to do it.”
Doug Ford, · Long-term care announcement, North Bay
What happened · Apr 21, 2022
The temporary wage enhancement was made permanent by regulation from April 21, 2022, under a framework in the Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Act, 2022 (Bill 106).
The $3 hourly increase began in October 2020 and was extended several times. On March 15, 2022 Ford said "We are going to make it permanent." The legislature passed Bill 106 on April 14, 2022. It included the Supporting Retention in Public Services Act, 2022, and the government budgeted $893 million in 2022-23 for the raise. The PSW and DSW Permanent Compensation Enhancement Program began on April 21, 2022. It pays $3 an hour in long-term care, home and community care and social services, and $2 an hour in public hospitals, about 158,000 workers in all. Unions said the raise fell short of fixing staffing problems.
“That's why we're now working on our solution to fill those gaps for everyone in Ontario. ... We will have the best program anywhere in North America, bar none.”
Doug Ford, · Virtual news conference while self-isolating
What happened · Apr 29, 2021
One week later the legislature passed the COVID-19 Putting Workers First Act, giving workers three paid COVID-related sick days at up to $200 a day, reimbursed to employers by the province.
Ford announced the program on April 22, 2021, after months of saying the federal Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit was enough. Bill 284 passed unanimously on April 29, 2021: three paid days at up to $200 a day, backdated to April 19 and originally set to end on September 25, 2021. The same day, the co-chair of Ontario's science advisory table answered 'No' when asked whether three days were enough, saying workers needed ten. The program was extended several times and ended on March 31, 2023. Ford's office said it would not be replaced and pointed instead to a planned portable health and dental benefits program.
“Based on the vaccines we expect to receive from the federal government, I'm expecting that we will be able to have 40% of Ontario adults vaccinated by the end of the Stay-at-Home order. That's when things start to change dramatically in our favour.”
Ontario passed 40% of adults with at least one dose on April 30 to May 1, 2021, about a week before the May 6 target.
Ford set the target when he announced the province's third state of emergency and 28-day stay-at-home order on April 7, 2021, with the order originally set to end on May 6. On April 30 Ford said 40% of Ontario adults would have received a first dose by the end of that day, a week ahead of schedule. The Star's vaccine tracker showed 41% of adults with at least one dose on May 1. The stay-at-home order itself was extended past May 6.
“Our government wants to stabilize rents for Ontario's 1.7 million rental households for 2021, because this year is not like any other year.”
Steve Clark, · Ontario government news release (Bill 204)
What happened · Oct 1, 2020
Bill 204 received Royal Assent on October 1, 2020 and froze most residential rents from January 1 to December 31, 2021.
On September 17, 2020, Ford and Clark introduced the Helping Tenants and Small Businesses Act, which would freeze rent in 2021 for most rent-controlled and non-rent-controlled units. The bill received Royal Assent on October 1, 2020. Rents did not rise for most RTA-covered units from January 1 to December 31, 2021, including units first occupied after November 15, 2018. Above-guideline increases approved for capital work were still allowed during the freeze.
“Starting November 1, 2020, customers will be able to choose a plan that best suits their household and lifestyle with the option of either TOU electricity rates or tiered pricing, which will provide a set rate for electricity up to a certain level of consumption.”
Office of the Premier news release, · Premier's Office release, COVID-19 briefing
What happened · Nov 1, 2020
OEB rule changes in force October 13, 2020 let time-of-use customers switch to tiered prices, effective November 1, 2020, as promised.
After the June 1, 2020 announcement, the Ontario Energy Board consulted on how to let Regulated Price Plan customers opt out of time-of-use pricing. Its amendments to the Standard Supply Service Code came into force on October 13, 2020. From November 1, 2020, residential and small-business customers could choose tiered prices instead of time-of-use. The OEB now also offers an Ultra-Low Overnight plan.
“There's opportunity to expand service with current funding, and so we'll keep current funding going forward.”
Doug Downey, · Remarks to reporters at Queen's Park
What happened · Mar 31, 2022
Legal Aid Ontario's audited figures show no further cut to its government funding in 2020-21, and provincial funding rose in 2021-22. The 2019-20 cut of about $133 million stayed in place.
The planned extra cut of about $31 million did not happen. Legal Aid Ontario's 2020-21 annual report shows total government funding of $353.5M, against $357.1M in 2019-20. It puts the drop down to lower one-time federal Department of Justice money, and it says the only change in base funding was a $3.5M federal increase. So provincial funding held flat. The 2021-22 annual report says provincial funding grew by $21.4M (8.0%) over 2020-21. Most of that increase was one-time money: $20M to ease a cash-flow shortfall and $7M for digital modernization.
“the Province intends to establish a competitive market for online legal gambling that will reflect consumer choice while protecting consumers who play on these websites.”
2019 Ontario Budget, · 2019 Ontario Budget
What happened · Apr 4, 2022
Ontario's regulated online gambling market, open to private operators, launched on April 4, 2022.
iGaming Ontario, a subsidiary of the AGCO, announced on January 28, 2022 that the new market would launch on April 4, 2022. CBC reported it opened that day, letting private operators that registered with the AGCO and signed agreements with iGaming Ontario offer online casino games and betting. In its first year the market took about $35.6 billion in wagers and $1.4 billion in gaming revenue across more than 40 operators. At launch, gambling-addiction experts and brick-and-mortar casino operators raised concerns about the effects of wider access.
“Under the previous Liberal administration, they spent $256 million on autism. Under the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, that will be over $600 million.”
Children, Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod, · Question Period, Legislative Assembly of Ontario
What happened · Jul 21, 2020
The province set the Ontario Autism Program budget at $600 million a year in July 2019, and the Financial Accountability Office recorded $608 million in autism spending in 2019-20.
On July 29, 2019 the government confirmed an additional $278 million, 'bringing the total amount of funding to $600 million annually.' On July 21, 2020 the Financial Accountability Office reported unaudited autism spending of $608 million in 2019-20, including $270 million for Childhood Budgets and interim one-time funding (part of it accrued for families who had not yet been paid by March 31, 2020). The budget kept rising after that: $720 million in 2024-25 (CBC/CP, Sept. 2024), and the March 2026 budget raised it to $965 million. Funding was not the same as access: the FAO said $600 million would still leave a wait-list of about 22,900 children.
“Hold residential electricity bills to the rate of inflation”
Ministry of Energy news release, · News release introducing Bill 87
What happened · Feb 16, 2022
The FAO found typical residential bills rose 4.3% in total from 2018 to 2021, less than Ontario inflation of 6.1% over those years, and the province now uses the Ontario Electricity Rebate to cap yearly bill growth at 2%. Taxpayers cover the difference.
Bill 87 replaced the Fair Hydro Plan with the Ontario Electricity Rebate (OER) on November 1, 2019. On February 16, 2022, the Financial Accountability Office estimated that a typical residential bill went from $116 a month in 2018 to $121 in 2021 (+4.3%). Over the same years, Statistics Canada's Ontario all-items CPI rose from 135.0 to 143.2 (+6.1%). The FAO reported that the province's policy is to set the OER each year so typical bills rise 2% a year, indefinitely. It estimated the OER will cost $45.4 billion from 2020-21 to 2039-40, and that replacing the Fair Hydro Plan adds $37.6 billion in provincial costs over that period. The province has kept adjusting the rebate, from 11.7% to 19.3% on November 1, 2023 and to 23.5% on November 1, 2025.
“Undertake a provincial impact assessment to identify where and how climate change is likely to impact Ontario's communities, critical infrastructure, economies and natural environment.”
Rod Phillips, environment minister (Environment Plan), · Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan launch
What happened · Aug 17, 2023
The government commissioned the assessment in 2020, received it in January 2023 and posted it publicly in August 2023.
Ontario commissioned the Provincial Climate Change Impact Assessment from the Climate Risk Institute in 2020. The report was presented to the government in January 2023 but was posted online only in late August 2023, without a news release, CBC News reported on September 13, 2023. The 530-page report found high risks to Ontario's agriculture, infrastructure, businesses and vulnerable people, including a projected near-fourfold increase in extreme-heat days in southern Ontario by the 2080s.
“Ontario's Government for the People will propose amendments to Bill 57, The Restoring Trust, Transparency, and Accountability Act to create the position of French Language Services Commissioner, under the auspices of the Office of the Ombudsman, to maintain independence in conducting investigations and, as part of that, make recommendations to improve the provision of French language services and encourage compliance with the French Language Services Act.”
Bill 57 as passed requires the Ombudsman to appoint a Deputy Ombudsman known as the French Language Services Commissioner, and Kelly Burke was appointed to the post in January 2020.
The November 2018 fall economic statement had abolished the independent French Language Services Commissioner and moved its duties to the Ombudsman. After backlash, Ford's office promised on November 23, 2018 to re-create the commissioner position inside the Ombudsman's office. Bill 57 received Royal Assent and added section 12.9 to the Ombudsman Act: "The Ombudsman shall appoint a Deputy Ombudsman who shall be known as the French Language Services Commissioner." The Ombudsman took over French-language services oversight on May 1, 2019. On January 13, 2020, Ombudsman Paul Dubé appointed Kelly Burke as French Language Services Commissioner and Deputy Ombudsman. The post is now an Ombudsman employee rather than a separate officer of the Legislature, the downgrade critics objected to in 2018.
ParaphraseThe Ministers further announced that the province would immediately begin consultations in advance of opening up a tightly regulated private retail model for cannabis that will launch by April 1, 2019.
Ontario government news release, · Ontario Newsroom release, Toronto
What happened · Apr 1, 2019
Licensed private cannabis stores opened for business in Ontario on April 1, 2019, the date the government set.
The first private cannabis stores opened on April 1, 2019, so the date was met. The rollout was smaller than first described. In December 2018 the government capped the first round at 25 licences awarded by lottery, citing federal supply shortages. Only 9 or 10 of those 25 stores were ready to open on day one; the government had hoped to have all 25 selling by that date.
“upon the swearing in of my new cabinet, at the top of our agenda the very first item will be to pass an order to cancel the Liberal cap-and-trade carbon tax.”
Doug Ford, · Premier-designate news conference, Toronto
What happened · Jul 3, 2018
The cap-and-trade regulation was revoked on July 3, 2018, and Bill 4, the Cap and Trade Cancellation Act, 2018, received royal assent on October 31, 2018.
On July 3, 2018, four days after the cabinet was sworn in, Ford announced that the cap-and-trade regulation had been revoked and that programs funded by it, including the Green Ontario Fund, would be wound down. Environment Minister Rod Phillips introduced Bill 4 on July 25, 2018, and it received royal assent on October 31, 2018. With no provincial carbon price left, the federal fuel charge applied in Ontario from April 1, 2019.
“if the PC Party forms government the first priority of Durham Region PC MPPs will be to advocate strongly for the removal of the tolls from the 412 and 418 Highways”
Ontario PC campaign release, five Durham candidates, · Ontario PC campaign news release, Whitby
What happened · Apr 5, 2022
The tolls came off Highways 412 and 418 on April 5, 2022, nearly four years after the 2018 campaign commitment and two months before the next election.
Ministry briefing notes obtained by Global News show ministers discussed removing the tolls on October 22, 2018 and put it off, with the minister committing to revisit once the budget was balanced; staff put the lost revenue at more than $665 million over 30 years (about $22 million a year). The 2018 release had also said Highway 418 should not be tolled, but it opened in 2019 under the Ford government with tolls of up to 48 cents per kilometre (inSauga). In December 2021 Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney said the tolls could not be lifted because of an agreement signed by the previous government. Ford announced the removal on February 18, 2022, Bill 84 passed on March 3, 2022, and both highways went toll-free on April 5, 2022, about eight weeks before the June 2 election; Oshawa NDP MPP Jennifer French said Ford waited "until just before an election" to do it.
“Cancel energy contracts that are in the pre-construction phase and re-negotiate other energy contracts.”
Ontario PC 2018 platform (Plan for the People), · Ontario PC 'Plan for the People' platform web page
What happened · Jul 25, 2018
The government cancelled 758 renewable energy contracts in July 2018 and legislated the termination of the White Pines wind project, at a cost the Energy Ministry put at up to $231 million.
On July 13, 2018, Energy Minister Greg Rickford announced the cancellation and wind-down of 758 renewable energy contracts, claiming $790 million in savings for ratepayers, a figure industry disputed. Bill 2 (Urgent Priorities Act, 2018; royal assent July 25, 2018) terminated the White Pines wind project in Prince Edward County retroactive to July 10, 2018, even though it had received its Notice to Proceed on May 11, 2018 and four of nine turbines were built, so it was not a pre-construction project. The 2018-19 public accounts showed $231 million in 'other transactions' that the Energy Ministry said covered the wind-down and termination costs, 'not anticipated to exceed $231 million', and in November 2019 the associate energy minister acknowledged taxpayers, not hydro customers, would pay it, despite the government's July 2018 statement that hydro consumers would be protected from cancellation costs. In 2024 the same government laid out plans to procure 5,000 MW of new renewable power by 2034.
“Amend the Assessment Act to ensure that Ontario Branches of the Royal Canadian Legion pay no property tax”
2018 PC platform, · PC platform, Plan for the People
What happened · Dec 6, 2018
Schedule 2 of Bill 57 (Royal Assent December 6, 2018) added Legion memorial homes, clubhouses and athletic grounds to the Assessment Act's property tax exemptions, effective January 1, 2019.
On November 5, 2018, Ford told a veterans' luncheon in Oakville that the government would make sure Legion halls 'pay no property tax'. Schedule 2 of Bill 57, the Restoring Trust, Transparency and Accountability Act, 2018, amended the Assessment Act to exempt land used as a memorial home, clubhouse or athletic grounds by an Ontario branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. The bill received Royal Assent on December 6, 2018, and the schedule took effect January 1, 2019. Before this, many Legion halls were already exempt through their municipalities.
“Stop taxing the poor: Introduce a minimum-wage tax credit so those on minimum wage pay no tax.”
2018 PC platform, · PC platform, Plan for the People
What happened · Dec 6, 2018
The Low-income Individuals and Families Tax (LIFT) credit was passed in Bill 57 (Royal Assent December 6, 2018) and took effect January 1, 2019. The government said a single person working full time at minimum wage (nearly $30,000) would pay no Ontario personal income tax.
The 2018 Fall Economic Statement announced the LIFT credit: up to $850 off Ontario personal income tax, or $1,700 for couples. It was enacted in Bill 57, the Restoring Trust, Transparency and Accountability Act, 2018, Royal Assent December 6, 2018, and took effect January 1, 2019. The government said a single person working full time at minimum wage (nearly $30,000) would pay no Ontario personal income tax. That excludes the Ontario Health Premium, and federal income tax still applies. The FAO estimated LIFT would remove Ontario income tax for 590,000 people earning under $30,000. It also found LIFT gave less total benefit than the cancelled raise of the minimum wage to $15. In 2022 the credit grew to a maximum of $875, with the phase-out starting at $32,500.
“Cut the aviation fuel tax for the North to reduce the cost of living in the North.”
2018 PC platform, · PC platform, Plan for the People
What happened · Dec 10, 2019
Bill 138, the Plan to Build Ontario Together Act, 2019 (Royal Assent December 10, 2019), cut the Gasoline Tax Act rate on aviation fuel bought and loaded in Northern Ontario from 6.7 to 2.7 cents a litre, effective January 1, 2020.
The 2019 Fall Economic Statement proposed cutting the aviation fuel tax in Northern Ontario to 2.7 cents a litre from 6.7 cents, effective January 1, 2020. 'Northern Ontario' covered the districts of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Timiskaming. Greg Rickford announced it at Thunder Bay airport on November 13, 2019. The cut was enacted in Bill 138, the Plan to Build Ontario Together Act, 2019, which received Royal Assent on December 10, 2019.
“Challenge, in the Supreme Court of Canada, any attempt by the federal government to impose a carbon tax on Ontario families.”
2018 PC platform, · PC platform, Plan for the People
What happened · Mar 25, 2021
Ontario challenged the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act in the Court of Appeal for Ontario, then appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against Ontario on March 25, 2021. The promise was to mount the challenge, and Ontario did; it lost.
Ontario referred the federal carbon-pricing law to the Court of Appeal for Ontario, which upheld the law. Ontario then appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, which heard the case with appeals from Saskatchewan and Alberta on September 22-23, 2020. On March 25, 2021, in References re Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (2021 SCC 11), the Court ruled 6-3 that the law is constitutional. The promised challenge went all the way to the Supreme Court and failed.
“Uphold moratorium on school closures until the closure review process is reformed.”
2018 PC platform, · PC platform, Plan for the People
What happened · Mar 23, 2026
The moratorium on new pupil accommodation (school closure) reviews has stayed in place through the Ford government's time in office. The province's capital resources page for school boards, published March 23, 2026, says: "Since 2017, Ontario has asked school boards not to begin new pupil accommodation reviews." The government never put out a reformed review process, which was the condition in the pledge for lifting the moratorium.
The Liberal government brought in the moratorium on new school closure reviews in June 2017. The PC platform promised to keep it in place until the review process was reformed. As of 2026 it is still in place. On Sept. 10, 2025, a spokesperson for Education Minister Paul Calandra told CTV News the moratorium "remains in place." The spokesperson added that every option, including underused schools, would be considered at the five boards under provincial supervision at that time. On Dec. 23, 2025, the minister's office told CityNews that supervisors had been asked to "review surplus properties and report back." The statement also confirmed that the moratorium remains in place. The government has not released a new pupil accommodation review guideline. School boards say the moratorium has strained their budgets. Government briefing notes obtained by Global News in October 2024 said boards were spending "limited school renewal funding" on schools that might otherwise have closed.
“Fix Bill 175 (Police Services Act) and treat our police with respect.”
2018 PC platform, · PC platform, Plan for the People
What happened · Mar 26, 2019
The Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act, 2019 (Bill 68) received Royal Assent on March 26, 2019. It repealed the Police Services Act and several Acts contained in the Liberals' Safer Ontario Act, 2018 (Bill 175), and enacted the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 instead. The new framework took effect April 1, 2024.
Sylvia Jones introduced the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act, 2019 (Bill 68) in February 2019. It passed and received Royal Assent on March 26, 2019. The government's release said it 'fixed the previous government's Bill 175'. The Act repealed the Police Services Act and several Acts in the Safer Ontario Act, 2018, and enacted the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 and a new Special Investigations Unit Act. Most of the new framework did not take effect until April 1, 2024, more than five years after Royal Assent.
“Stop sweetheart deals by scrapping the Green Energy Act”
Ontario PC 2018 platform (Plan for the People), · Ontario PC 'Plan for the People' platform web page
What happened · Dec 6, 2018
Bill 34, the Green Energy Repeal Act, 2018, received royal assent on December 6, 2018, and the repeal took effect January 1, 2019.
The government introduced the Green Energy Repeal Act on September 20, 2018, and it received royal assent on December 6, 2018. The Green Energy Act, 2009 was repealed effective January 1, 2019, with some conservation and efficiency provisions moved into the Electricity Act, 1998. Municipal planning authority over siting renewable projects was restored on June 1, 2019. Opposition parties and environmental groups called the repeal largely symbolic, because the government had already cancelled 758 renewable contracts and no procurements were active.
ParaphraseAccording to the platform, a PC government would ban the phones in all elementary and high schools "in order to maximize learning time."
Ontario PC 2018 platform (as reported by CTV News), · PC election platform, 2018 campaign
What happened · Nov 4, 2019
Starting Nov. 4, 2019, the province limited students' use of cellphones and other personal devices during instructional time to educational, health or medical, and special-needs purposes.
Education Minister Lisa Thompson announced the ban in March 2019. On Aug. 29, 2019, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said a provincial directive would restrict personal mobile devices during instructional time starting Nov. 4, 2019. Use is allowed only for educational purposes directed by the teacher, for health or medical reasons, or for special needs. The restriction took effect on Nov. 4, 2019. The Canadian Press noted that the PCs had proposed the ban in their 2018 platform.
“A Doug Ford Ontario PC Government will increase the Risk Management Program cap by $50 million to help farmers and other producers better manage risks outside of their control.”
Ontario PC campaign release, · Campaign announcement, Essex (Ontario PC release)
What happened · Jul 16, 2020
The province raised its annual Risk Management Program funding from $100 million to $150 million starting in 2020, one year ahead of the campaign timetable.
The 2018 PC backgrounder said the $50 million increase would come in year 3 of the mandate and bring the program to $150 million a year. On July 16, 2020, Ford and Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman announced at a Chatham farm that the government was expanding the program by $50 million, to $150 million a year, one year earlier than planned. Ford said the government was "delivering on that commitment a year earlier than promised." The Ontario Federation of Agriculture later described the 2020 change as the program's increase from $100 million to $150 million. In January 2025 the government announced a further increase to $250 million a year, phased in by the 2027 program year.
“An Ontario PC Government will keep the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station open until 2024.”
Doug Ford, · Pickering Nuclear Generating Station campaign stop
What happened · Sep 21, 2026
Pickering ran past 2024. The Pickering A units ran until 2024 and the Pickering B units until September 2026. The province then approved refurbishing Units 5-8, and site construction began on September 21, 2026.
As premier-designate on June 21, 2018, Ford confirmed the pledge at the station. In September 2022 the government backed OPG's plan to run Pickering A (Units 1 and 4) through 2024 and Pickering B (Units 5-8) until September 2026. It then approved a refurbishment of Units 5-8, and site construction began on September 21, 2026. The government says the Pickering B units will be removed from service by the end of September 2026, with reactor work pending final CNSC approval in January 2027. The station stayed open beyond the promised 2024. The outgoing Liberals had also planned to run it until 2024; the NDP had proposed starting to close it in 2018.
Aecon teams were awarded the Pickering refurbishment contracts announced September 21, 2026: a 50/50 joint venture with Candu Energy for the roughly $1.7 billion Unit 5 retube, feeder and boiler replacement, and the majority share of a consortium with Siemens Energy Canada for the $1.3 billion turbine-generator replacement. Aecon reports its share at $1.75 billion. The refurbishment follows the 2022 decision to keep Units 5-8 running and refurbish them, which goes beyond the promise's literal 'open until 2024' wording.
50/50 joint-venture partner with Aecon on the roughly $1.7 billion Unit 5 retube, feeder and boiler replacement contract for the Pickering refurbishment announced September 21, 2026. The refurbishment follows the 2022 decision to keep Units 5-8 running and refurbish them, which goes beyond the promise's literal 'open until 2024' wording.
Consortium partner with Aecon on the $1.3 billion turbine-generator replacement contract for the Pickering refurbishment announced September 21, 2026. The refurbishment follows the 2022 decision to keep Units 5-8 running and refurbish them, which goes beyond the promise's literal 'open until 2024' wording.
“Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs will support our seniors by introducing dental care for low-income seniors.”
Ontario PC Party campaign release, · PC campaign stop, London (party news release)
What happened · Nov 20, 2019
The Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program opened for applications on Nov. 20, 2019, with the income thresholds and delivery model the platform described.
The 2018 PC backgrounder promised dental care for single seniors with incomes of $19,300 or less and couples with $32,300 or less, delivered through public health units, community health centres, Aboriginal Health Access Centres and mobile dental buses, at about $98 million a year to help almost 100,000 seniors. On Nov. 20, 2019 Ford, Health Minister Christine Elliott and Seniors Minister Raymond Cho launched the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program with those same income thresholds and delivery channels, budgeted at about $90 million a year and expected to serve about 100,000 seniors.
“As we approach the Victoria Day weekend, it is time to acknowledge that Ontario is mature enough for this change and ready to join other jurisdictions in making life a little more convenient.”
Licensed convenience stores began selling beer, wine, cider and ready-to-drink cocktails on September 5, 2024, more than six years after the pledge.
Ford's government released its alcohol-market plan in December 2023 with a 2026 start, then accelerated it in May 2024. On September 5, 2024, about 4,180 licensed convenience stores began selling beer, wine, cider and ready-to-drink cocktails, with grocery and big-box stores following after October 31, 2024. Ending the Beer Store's master framework agreement early required the province to pay The Beer Store up to $225 million.
Paid up to $225 million by the province under the 2024 early-implementation agreement to end its retail exclusivity early and keep at least 300 stores open through 2025; Global News reported in November 2025 that the full amount had been paid out.
Couche-Tard's CEO told analysts that selling beer, cider, wine and ready-to-drink products in its roughly 600 eligible Ontario Circle K stores after the 2024 legislation change drove notable growth, with wine sales doubling year over year in central Canada. Sourced to two trade reports quoting the company's earnings statements.
“A Doug Ford Ontario PC Government will help small businesses by reducing the small business tax rate by 8.7 per cent.”
Ontario PC Party campaign backgrounder (Doug Ford announcement), · 2018 campaign announcement, PC news release
What happened · Jan 1, 2020
Ontario cut its small business corporate income tax rate from 3.5% to 3.2% effective January 1, 2020.
The PC backgrounder promised to cut the small business rate from 3.5% to 3.2% and said 'We will include this measure in our first budget.' The cut came in Finance Minister Rod Phillips' November 6, 2019 fall economic statement, effective January 1, 2020. The same update reduced the matching dividend tax credit, recovering about $125 million of the $185 million three-year cost, according to the Financial Post. The 2026 budget cut the rate again, to 2.2% from July 1, 2026.
The government ended cap-and-trade in 2018 (which it said was worth 4.3 cents a litre) and cut the provincial gas tax by 5.7 cents a litre from July 1, 2022, later making that cut permanent.
The government wound down cap-and-trade shortly after taking office in July 2018, which it credited with 4.3 cents a litre. The provincial gas tax cut (from 14.7 to 9 cents a litre) did not come until spring 2022, just before that year's election, when the government passed legislation cutting the gas tax by 5.7 cents and the diesel tax by 5.3 cents from July 1, 2022, initially for six months. The province has since described the cuts as permanent. The total took about four years to deliver.
The government revoked the 2015 curriculum in July 2018, reverted to the pre-2015 version, consulted, and released a new curriculum in August 2019.
On July 11, 2018, Education Minister Lisa Thompson announced that schools would revert that fall to the health and physical education curriculum last taught in 2014, whose sex-ed content dated from 1998, until a consultation with parents was complete. The new elementary curriculum, released August 21, 2019, kept many elements of the 2015 version the PCs had called ideological, and added content on consent, cannabis, vaping and concussions. Gender identity moved from a mandatory Grade 6 topic to Grade 8, sexual orientation moved to Grade 5, and parents got a standardized opt-out. Tanya Granic Allen, a former PC leadership candidate and leading opponent of the 2015 curriculum, called the 2019 version a betrayal.
“A Doug Ford Ontario PC Government will scrap 'discovery math' and inquiry-based learning in our classrooms, and restore proven methods of teaching.”
Ontario PC Party news release, · PC campaign education announcement, Toronto
What happened · Jun 23, 2020
On June 23, 2020 the government released a new elementary math curriculum, billed as 'back to basics', which took effect in September 2020.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce and Premier Ford released a new Grade 1-8 math curriculum on June 23, 2020, as part of a $200-million math strategy. It brought back memorizing multiplication tables and added coding and financial literacy. The 2018 PC release had cited 50 per cent of Grade 6 students meeting the math standard in 2016. EQAO results released Sept. 25, 2026 showed 52 per cent of Grade 6 students meeting the standard in 2025-26. CBC reported that Grade 6 math has hovered around 50 per cent for years.
ParaphraseOntario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford would appoint an independent commission of inquiry to investigate the $5 billion difference between the deficit numbers of the governing Liberals and the auditor general.
The Independent Financial Commission of Inquiry was established by Order in Council on July 17, 2018 and delivered its report on August 30, 2018.
On July 17, 2018, the Ford government established the Independent Financial Commission of Inquiry under the Public Inquiries Act, 2009 by Order in Council 1005/2018, with Gordon Campbell as chair and Al Rosen and Michael Horgan as commissioners. The commission delivered its report to the government on August 30, 2018, concluding the government had inherited a $15 billion deficit for 2018-19. The report was released publicly on September 21, 2018.
ParaphraseFord has said that he would halt the plan, freezing minimum wage at $14, out of concern for businesses' bottom lines and the possibility of job cuts.
Doug Ford, · PC campaign (as reported by Global News)
What happened · Nov 21, 2018
Bill 47 (royal assent November 21, 2018) cancelled the January 1, 2019 increase to $15 and froze the minimum wage at $14 until October 2020.
Bill 47, the Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018, received royal assent on November 21, 2018. It eliminated the scheduled January 1, 2019 increase to $15, held the minimum wage at $14 until inflation indexing began October 1, 2020, and repealed the Liberal Bill 148 guarantee of two paid sick days. The Financial Accountability Office found in April 2019 that the $15 wage would have given 1.3 million workers an average $810 after tax, versus about 1.0 million people getting an average $409 from the replacement LIFT tax credit, which only 38 per cent of minimum-wage earners qualified for, and that the credit plus the cancelled increase would worsen the provincial budget balance by $1.9 billion from 2018-19 to 2022-23. The government later raised the minimum wage to $15 effective January 1, 2022, three years after the Liberal date.
On July 11, 2018 Hydro One announced CEO Mayo Schmidt's immediate retirement and the replacement of its whole board under an agreement with the province.
On July 11, 2018 Hydro One announced that CEO Mayo Schmidt was retiring effective immediately and that all board members would be replaced, under an agreement with the new government. Schmidt left with a $400,000 payment in lieu of post-retirement benefits rather than the $10.7 million he would have been owed if removed by the board. Ford said, 'I said that we were going to do this, and we did it.' Shares fell the next day as analysts warned of political interference.
“If I have to hop on a bulldozer myself, we're going to start building roads to the Ring of Fire!”
Doug Ford, · Tweet (@fordnation) after meeting FONOM president
What happened · Jun 25, 2026
Ground was broken on the first all-season road to the Ring of Fire, the Webequie Supply Road, on June 25, 2026, about eight years after the promise.
Ford and ministers Greg Rickford and Stephen Lecce attended the groundbreaking of the 107-km Webequie Supply Road at Webequie First Nation on June 25, 2026. That came days after the province approved the road's environmental assessment on June 18, 2026. In late September 2026 Ontario named Sigfusson Northern as construction manager. The province says the road will open by November 2030. Construction of the Marten Falls Community Access Road was scheduled to start in August 2026, and of the Northern Road Link in spring 2028; both are scheduled to open by November 2031. Ground was broken and a construction manager is in place, so the promise to 'start building' counts as kept. But it took about eight years, no road is open yet, and mining still needs separate approvals. Neskantaga First Nation has set up a land-defence camp on the Attawapiskat River crossing, saying it has not consented.
Awarded the construction manager contract for the 107-km Webequie Supply Road, the first all-season Ring of Fire road, announced by the province on September 29, 2026.
“If I ever get to the provincial level of politics, municipal affairs is the first thing I would want to change. I think mayors across the province deserve stronger powers. One person in charge, with veto power, similar to the strong mayoral systems in New York and Chicago and L.A.”
Doug Ford, · Ford Nation book (with Rob Ford), HarperCollins
What happened · May 1, 2025
Ford's government created strong-mayor powers, including a veto, and extended them to more than 200 municipalities.
Bill 3, the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, 2022, received Royal Assent on Sept. 8, 2022. It gave the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa powers that include vetoing by-laws that could interfere with a prescribed provincial priority. Bill 39 (December 2022) let those mayors pass certain by-laws with one-third of council's support. The powers were extended to dozens more municipalities in 2023 and to 169 more effective May 1, 2025, bringing the total to 216, many of them small rural townships. A May 2026 Toronto Star analysis found that only about 2 per cent of more than 4,200 strong-mayor decisions were aimed directly at creating housing, the stated purpose of the powers.