US EditionOntario’s 2024-25 deficit was billions less than expected in the 2024 budget but government spending grew
The hiring freeze targets 143 provincial agencies growing five times faster than Ontario Public Service since 2023 to improve fiscal discipline and resource allocation.
- The province announced a hiring freeze covering all provincial agencies effective September 27, 2025, Caroline Mulroney, President of the Treasury Board, announced Friday.
- Officials cite rapid agency expansion, noting provincial agencies grew more than five times faster than the Ontario Public Service since 2023 and staffing rose about five per cent.
- The public accounts show the province closed the year with a $1.1 billion deficit, below the $9.8 billion forecast, and collected $226.2 billion in revenue.
- Hiring will now require government-approved plans, Mulroney said, and the province will work with provincial agencies in the coming weeks while investments continue.
- Opposition critics said the public accounts showed $11.5 billion more spending and warned the freeze affects provincial agencies providing vital services amid college workers on strike and 800,000 people without a job.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Ontario’s 2024-25 deficit was billions less than expected in the 2024 budget but government spending grew
Ontario’s deficit for the 2024-25 fiscal years came in at $8.7 billion lower than forecast in the 2024 budget, even as program spending weighed in at $11.5 billion more than planned, the province reported Friday.
Ontario orders a hiring freeze in provincial agencies while Donald Trump's tariffs could slow down the province's economy.
sarnianewstoday.ca
Ontario freezes hiring on provincial bodies
As of Saturday, the Ontario government is implementing a hiring freeze for provincial agencies, boards, and commissions.Caroline Mulroney, President of the Treasury Board, announced the directive in a statement released on Friday morning."This freeze will support the government's ongoing efforts to be disciplined and responsible with taxpayer money, while putting more resources into frontline service delivery and back into the pockets of taxpaye…
Winnipeg Free Press
Ontario ends 2024-25 with significantly lower deficit than predicted
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