Ontario’s policy steering public advertising to local news publishers has exposed an oversight divide. The four provincial agencies ordered to reserve 25% of their advertising budgets for Ontario media are outside the Auditor General’s regular government-advertising review, while a new investigation questions how the money was distributed.
Canadaland published the investigation on Monday, with reporter Gemma Boothroyd examining which publishers benefited from the directive and which were left out. The outlet characterizes the spending as millions of dollars flowing toward major news organizations.
The policy itself dates to July 3, 2024. Premier Doug Ford’s government directed the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Ontario Cannabis Store, Metrolinx, and Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation to devote at least 25% of annual advertising spending to qualifying Ontario-based publishers. Eligibility was tied to the Canada Revenue Agency’s Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization designation.
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Ontario said the agencies collectively spent well over $100 million annually on marketing.
The province set a September 3, 2024, implementation deadline and promised quarterly policy reviews.
The distinction between agency and ministry advertising complicates scrutiny. In an October 2025 report, Ontario’s legislative public accounts committee noted that the province’s centralized advertising oversight excludes agencies such as Metrolinx and the LCBO. It recommended extending the Government Advertising Act’s review requirements to agencies and publishing comprehensive annual expenditure summaries.
The debate now extends to Ottawa. In October 2025, News Media Canada and regional publishers called for at least 25% of the federal advertising budget to be reserved for news media. Federal lobbying records show the association was still advocating that allocation in June 2026.
A Canadian Heritage briefing in April 2026, said no federal rule requires Canadian media to receive preference in advertising procurement. It recorded $78.15 million in federal advertising expenditures for 2024–25 and said similar spending quotas had historically been rejected on cost-effectiveness and audience-reach grounds.
