The numbers behind the answer
Every question on this page traces back to one of these three numbers.
Registered
88,175Children registered
Total in the Ontario Autism Program queue
CBC FOI Jan 2026
Funded
20,666Have active funding
Just 23.4% of registered children
CBC FOI Jan 2026
Waiting
67,509Still waiting
Registered. Diagnosed. Un-funded.
CBC FOI Jan 2026
Verified — CBC FOI Jan 2026
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Children registered | 88,175 |
| Have active funding | 20,666 |
| Still waiting | 67,509 |
In the 2023-24 fiscal year, Ontario allocated $691.2 millionto the Ontario Autism Program. This figure comes from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario's MCCSS Spending Plan Review and MCCSS FOI documents.
Key finding: Less than half of total OAP spending reaches children as therapy. Administrative operations ($57.9M to AccessOAP) cost more than the entire Entry to School Program ($54.7M).
The Financial Accountability Office estimated that $1.35 billion would be required to serve all waitlisted children at 2018-19 service levels. That estimate was based on 40,700 children. The OAP now has 88,175 registered children — more than double the FAO baseline.
The true need likely exceeds $1.35B given that registrations have more than doubled since the FAO's 2020 analysis. At current enrollment rates (~277 new funded children/month), the waitlist cannot be cleared.
The 2026 Ontario Budget was tabled on March 26, 2026. The autism allocation rose to $965M for 2026-27, up from $779M in 2025-26. While this narrowed the FAO gap from $571M to $385M, it does not account for the doubling of registrations since the FAO estimate.
Source for $691.2M total OAP spending breakdown and $1.35B needs estimate
Source for 88,175 registered children and 20,666 funded as of January 2026
Independent waitlist tracking and historical registration data
Program-level spending detail including AccessOAP contract value
Verified Facts
$965M — Ontario allocated to the Ontario Autism Program in 2026-27
According to the FAO (2020 report), OAP funding covers less than one-third of estimated need at 2018-19 service levels
88,175 — children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
23.4% — Only 20,666 children have active funding agreements () — less than one in four
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism — timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement