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Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner warns that the provincial government fails to comply with orders revealing how a huge public fund awarded grants to political supporters and an adult entertainment club, highlighting the watchdog's limited enforcement power.
Ontario's watchdog for transparency has warned officials that the provincial government is increasingly ignoring its legal orders, especially those that would expose how a multi‑billion dollar public fund funneled grants to political allies and even a club that specializes in adult entertainment.
The watchdog, the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC), told CTV News that it has no legal power to take these agencies to court in Ontario, unlike its counterparts in other provinces. As a result, the IPC is effectively powerless to enforce compliance with its orders. In July the IPC issued several directives to the Ministry of Labour regarding nine Freedom of Information (FOI) requests that CTV News filed in September 2025.
Skills Development Fund Spending Scrutiny
The ministry has yet to respond, despite a deadline set for August 21. These FOI requests sought details about the Skills Development Fund - a public initiative that has attracted significant scrutiny for its questionable spending patterns.
Recent investigations have revealed that the province disbursed over $100 million to clients of a lobbyist who managed Premier Doug Ford's campaign, millions to a company affiliated with the Ford family's dentist, and a $10 million grant to a company that runs a strip club. In addition, the Auditor General's report on the fund highlighted that its administration was "not fair, transparent, or accountable.
" A separate investigation by the Integrity Commissioner was triggered by a grant to a company whose director had been photographed with Labour Minister David Piccini at a hockey game, and that inquiry is still pending. In response to the auditor's findings, newly appointed Labour Minister Trevor Jones said the government would implement the auditor's recommendations and continue to fund skills development, stressing the need to "invest appropriately and that every dollar is accounted for.
Ministry Defies Information Commissioner Orders
" When asked about the ministry's failure to obey FOI orders, the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery issued an unsigned statement that claimed the government would "continue to comply with our obligations under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. " Those assurances appear to be in tension with the ministry's actual conduct, critics say.
James Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto's Metropolitan University, said the ministry's statements were pre‑posterous: "How can they say they're complying when they are not? It is a bold anti‑democratic move. The foundation of democracy is accountability, and people must have access to information so they can hold the government responsible.
" The media have not been the only entities to push for access to the Skills Development Fund files. Political outlet The Trillium has spent $4,000 in fees and deposits to process FOI requests and obtained a legal order from the IPC in July, which the ministry has likewise ignored.
Limited Enforcement Powers for Ontario Watchdog
The IPC explained that it can only take provinces to court if a FOI order involves personal health information or information about child service providers, but does not have that authority for ordinary FOI requests. In other provinces like British Columbia, the watchdog has that power. Even without the statutory enforcement mechanism, the IPC noted that wilfully failing to comply with an IPC order is an offence, creating a strong incentive for institutions to comply.
Separate from this transparency issue is a new bill passed in April that retroactively removed many provisions of the province's FOI laws, exempting the premier and political staff from the obligation to disclose certain records. The changes followed an IPC order to disclose records related to the premier's government phone usage, which the court upheld after challenges. Opposition leaders have pointed to a pattern of secrecy and lack of transparency.
Opposition Criticizes Government Secrecy Bill
NDP leader Marit Stiles described the government as "hiding from accountability from day one," while Liberal interim leader John Fraser highlighted that "It's bad news for the government, so they want to hide it.
" In sum, Ontario's transparency watchdog faces a tough battle: the province's institutions continue to defy its orders, and the IPC's limited power in the province means that accountability may rely more on political pressure and public scrutiny than on legal recourse.
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