Pattern
Gradually shift public services or assets to private control without explicit policy debate.
Cumulative Documented Cost
Pattern Sequence
Bill 124 triggers nurse shortage, ER closures begin (2019-22)
Private clinics licensed to fill "capacity gap" (2023)
Clearpoint Health funding increases 278% after Elliott lobbies (2023)
For-profit home care providers expand as public providers defunded
Documentation
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In November 2025 the Ford government enacted the Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act as Schedule 16 of omnibus Bill 60. In March 2026, CUPE Ontario released a legal opinion by Simon Archer of Goldblatt Partners, prepared jointly with the Ontario NDP, finding that the word "public" in the Act's name has no real legal effect and that the legislation does not guarantee the corporations will be publicly owned. Bill 98 later amended the Act to restrict share ownership to governments and "an agent of any of them," leaving "agent" undefined. A legal opinion by UBC law professor Joel Bakan — retained by CUPE — concluded the amendments "will have the same impacts on communities in terms of water services as a fully privatized scheme." Water corporations must be incorporated as for-profit entities under the Ontario Business Corporations Act. Peel Region is the pilot.
Manufactured a structural crisis using a misleading roof report to justify closing the Science Centre and relocating it to Ontario Place to support the Therme spa deal.
Systematic expansion of for-profit home care delivery while public and non-profit providers face funding challenges, shifting public healthcare dollars to private shareholders.
The Ford government sole-sourced a contract to move ServiceOntario locations into US-owned Staples stores, costing $11.7 million—$1.5 million more than announced.
The Ford government restructured Ontario's employment services, inserting a new private management layer between the province and frontline providers. The Employment Ontario operating budget declined from $1.68B (2022-23) to $1.44B (2024-25). Frontline organizations report funding cuts of 50-67% while serving 2.5 times as many social assistance clients. At least six disability employment programs have shut down. Employment outcomes for social assistance recipients have declined. The largest SSM contracts went to WCG Services, whose parent company APM Group also owns Agilec, another Ontario employment service provider.
The government dramatically expanded funding for private surgical clinics while public hospital operating rooms sit empty due to staffing shortages.
The first-ever province-wide LCBO strike occurred in response to government plans to expand alcohol privatization.
The government broke the Beer Store contract to allow expanded alcohol sales, costing taxpayers up to $1.4 billion.
The government demolished public parkland to build a private mega-spa with approximately $1 billion in public subsidies.
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