Here are the highlights copied directly from the Financial Accountability Office’s Expenditure Monitor 2025-26: Q2 published on December 10, 2025, which reports on  unaudited spending by the Government of Ontario (the Province) through the first two quarters of the 2025-26 fiscal year (from April 1, 2025 to September 30, 2025): Government Spending is detailed in several categories throughout the report. 

 Changes to the 2025-26 Spending Plan 

  • In the 2025 Ontario Budget, the Province started the 2025-26 fiscal year with a spending plan of $232.5 billion. 
  • The Province may change its spending plan throughout the year, either by requesting additional spending authority from the Legislature or by reallocating spending among different programs through Treasury Board Orders. 
  • As of the end of the second quarter, the Province’s spending plan was down $254 million to $232.2 billion. 
  • By sector, there were spending plan increases in ‘other programs’ ($241 million) and justice ($10 million). These increases were more than offset by a $505 million transfer from the Contingency Fund. 

 Unaudited Spending versus Planned Spending 

  • This report compares unaudited spending against the Province’s spending plan by quarter to provide information on sectors and programs that may be experiencing spending pressures or budget savings, and to track the status of the Province’s full-year spending plan. 
  • Over the first half of 2025-26, the FAO estimates that the Province spent $107.9 billion compared to planned spending of $106.3 billion. Overall, unaudited spending was $1.7 billion (1.6 per cent) more than planned. 
  • By sector, higher-than-planned spending was led by health ($1,632 million, 3.7 per cent), children, community and social services ($284 million, 2.8 per cent) and postsecondary education ($160 million, 2.5 per cent). This was partially offset by lower-than-planned spending in ‘other programs’ (-$349 million, -2.4 per cent), justice (-$43 million, -1.4 per cent), education (-$14 million, -0.1 per cent) and interest and other debt servicing charges (-$14 million, -0.2 per cent). 

 2025-26 Spending versus 2024-25 Spending 

  • This report also compares 2025-26 unaudited spending against 2024-25 spending to provide context for provincial spending trends and to identify significant year-over-year spending changes. 
  • The FAO estimates that spending in the first half of 2025-26 was $5.9 billion (5.8 per cent) higher than in the first half of 2024-25. 
  • The largest year-over-year spending increase was in health ($2,286 million, 5.3 per cent), followed by education ($1,801 million, 9.6 per cent), ‘other programs’ ($1,075 million, 8.1 per cent), children, community and social services ($325 million, 3.2 per cent), justice ($236 million, 8.4 per cent), interest and other debt servicing charges ($193 million, 2.5 per cent) and postsecondary education ($13 million, 0.2 per cent). 

 Status of the Contingency Fund 

  • The Contingency Fund is used to address spending pressures or fund program changes during the fiscal year. The funds within the Contingency Fund cannot be spent directly by the Province but must be transferred to government programs through Treasury Board Orders. 
  • The Province started the 2025-26 fiscal year with a total of $3.0 billion in the Contingency Fund. In the first and second quarters, the Province transferred $11 million and $495 million, respectively, from the Contingency Fund to various programs. This results in a remaining balance in the Contingency Fund, as of September 30, 2025, of $2.5 billion.[1] 

 For the full report, click here