Ontario funds public services
through public institutions.
Hospitals.
Infrastructure.
Care.
This is how it's supposed to work.
Then Doug Ford showed up.
The Timeline
Policy decisions affecting healthcare, the environment, and accountability — and their consequences.
Data from OFL Ford Tracker and CCPA Reports
Doug Ford takes office
Progressive Conservative government elected
Bill 124 passed
1% cap on annual wage increases for public sector workers
COVID-19 pandemic begins
Hospitals face unprecedented pressure
Bill 124 ruled unconstitutional
Courts find wage suppression law violates Charter rights
Greenbelt land removed
7,400 acres taken out of protection for development; process later found biased; RCMP criminal probe launched
Bill 60 passed (Your Health Act)
For-profit facilities encouraged for publicly funded surgeries and diagnostics
Healthcare crisis continues
Private agency spending grows; majority of hospitals in deficit
Bill 5 passed
Endangered Species Act weakened; special economic zones can bypass environmental rules; first zone declared in Ring of Fire
This wasn't an accident.
Policy decisions created the conditions for privatization (Americanization) — in healthcare, land, and water — to flourish.
Explore the issues
Loading...
Three Forms of Privatization
How public dollars flow to private corporations
Consulting & Outsourcing
Work that once lived inside the public system moved outside it.
Healthcare Delivery
Delivery shifted, even when access stayed public on paper.
The Full Picture
Privatization (Americanization) is just one part of a broader pattern
Cuts to Public Services
The Ford government has systematically cut funding across multiple sectors
Education and public health unit cuts
Social service and legal aid reductions
Greenbelt land removed (later reversed); environmental oversight weakened
Species-at-risk protections weakened (Bill 5)
Expansion of Privatization (Americanization)
While cutting public services, private spending has grown
Private staffing agencies ($9.2B over 10 years); for-profit surgical clinics (Bill 60)
For-profit long-term care; consulting and outsourcing
Water and land opened to private control (Bill 60 water, Bill 5 special economic zones)
The Pattern
Cut funding to public services
Create pressure and capacity constraints
Introduce private alternatives
Frame privatization (Americanization) as the solution to the crisis you created
Public dollars flow to private profits
Capacity permanently leaves the public system
Key Findings
The data tells a clear story — spending since 2018
For water, Greenbelt, and wildlife: Healthcare · Water · Greenbelt · Wildlife
Private spending grew nearly 2x faster than public funding between 2018 and 2024
For-profit payments increased 86.7% while public funding grew 46.5%
$9.2 billion to private staffing agencies over 10 years
Private agency costs grew 98% while public staff spending grew only 6%
Private agencies cost 3x more than public staff
0.4% of hours but 6% of costs ($725M annually)
66 of 134 hospitals in deficit
49% of Ontario hospitals face budget shortfalls
Canada ranks 33/38 OECD countries
Ontario's hospital system reflects one of the most undercapacity systems in the industrialized world
New for-profit vendors appeared post-2018
WCG ($403M), Omni Health Care entities ($732M total), Southbridge ($175M) and others
Bill 60 accelerated surgical privatization
For-profit surgical clinics paid 2-3x more than public hospitals for the same procedures
Public capacity hollowed out
Once capacity leaves the public system, it doesn't return
System-wide staff shortages
Created by wage suppression and underfunding
Every dollar here is a dollar not strengthening public capacity.
Once capacity leaves the public system, it doesn't quietly return.
This wasn't announced.
It was invoiced.