Ontario has the longest autism waitlist in Canada and among the lowest per-child funding relative to need. Here's how Ontario compares to BC, Alberta, Quebec, and the Maritimes — and what Ontario can learn.
Ontario has the longest autism waitlist in Canada and among the lowest per-child funding relative to need. Here's how Ontario compares to BC, Alberta, Quebec, and the Maritimes — and what Ontario can learn.
Ontario is home to 40% of Canada's population — and a disproportionately high share of its autism waitlist crisis. How does the Ontario Autism Program compare to similar programs in other Canadian provinces?
The comparison is damning.
| Province | Program | Wait for Core Services | Annual Funding | Waitlist Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | OAP | 5–7 years | Varies by need | 87,692 children |
| British Columbia | Autism Funding | 4–8 weeks | $6,000–$22,000/yr | ~15,000 (est.) |
| Alberta | PDD Program | 1–2 years | Needs-based | ~12,000 |
| Quebec | CRDI services | 6 months–2 years | Via CIUSSS | ~8,000 |
| Nova Scotia | Autism Services Nova Scotia | 1–3 years | Up to $15,000/yr | ~2,500 |
| Manitoba | ASD Manitoba | 1–2 years | Needs-based | ~3,000 |
Sources: Provincial program documentation, recent reports; estimates where official data unavailable.
BC's autism funding model is the most family-directed system in Canada and provides a useful contrast to Ontario.
Eligibility: Under 18, diagnosed with ASD
Funding amounts:
Wait time: Weeks, not years. Families receive funding within 4–8 weeks of confirmed diagnosis.
How it works: BC provides direct funding to families who then hire their own service providers. Families choose their own therapists. The government doesn't maintain a waitlist for funding — eligible children get funding.
What Ontario can learn:
BC's challenges: $22,000/year doesn't cover intensive ABA therapy (which costs $30,000–$50,000/year). But families can supplement with private funds. The funding is still more than many Ontario families receive in years on the waitlist.
Alberta's approach provides individualized, needs-based services rather than fixed annual amounts.
Key features:
Why Alberta does better:
Alberta's challenges: The PDD program focuses on developmental disabilities broadly — autism-specific services are less defined than in BC or Ontario.
Quebec integrates autism services into its public health network through CRDIs, which are integrated into the provincial health authority (CIUSSS/CISSS) structure.
Key features:
Why Quebec does better:
Quebec's challenges: Anglophone families face access challenges in some regions. Adult transition remains difficult. Rural access is limited.
Nova Scotia provides a useful comparison for smaller populations.
Program: Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI) and family support services
Funding: Up to $15,000/year for therapy; additional equipment and respite funding
Wait times: 1–3 years (significantly shorter than Ontario)
What Nova Scotia does differently:
When the Ford government reformed the Ontario Autism Program in 2019, the changes:
BC's model predates Ontario's 2019 reform. Ontario was watching BC succeed and moved in the opposite direction.
Ontario spends approximately $600 million/year on autism services for 87,692 children. That's roughly $6,863 per registered child.
BC spends $22,000 per child under 6. Alberta's individualized plans often exceed $30,000 for children with high needs.
Ontario's per-child investment is among the lowest in Canada relative to the services that research says are needed.
Ontario funds services through approved providers, creating a capacity bottleneck. BC funds families directly, who then hire from a broader market. The provider-funded model limits supply; the family-funded model expands it.
The Ontario government committed in 2019 to a "needs-based" system. Six years later, the needs-based clinical assessment framework is still not fully operational. Families are still waiting based on registration date, not clinical urgency.
Based on cross-provincial comparison, the most effective reforms would be:
Direct-to-family funding for children 0–6 — modeled on BC. Eliminate the service provider bottleneck for the highest-need period.
Tiered access by age — prioritize 0–6 for immediate service, as Ontario's own clinical experts recommend.
Funded clinical needs assessments — within 90 days of diagnosis for all children. Needs determine service level. Registration date does not.
Annual funding minimums by age — BC's $22,000 for 0–6 is a reasonable benchmark given cost of services.
Accountability reporting — mandatory quarterly reporting on waitlist trends, regional data, and service delivery outcomes.
Ontario's autism funding gap is not a mystery. Successive governments have known the problem. The barrier is political will and resource allocation.
The province has the fiscal capacity to close the gap over 5–10 years. The question is whether families can build enough political pressure to make it happen.
That's what End the Wait Ontario is for.
Sources: BC Ministry of Children and Family Development, Alberta Ministry of Community and Social Services, Quebec MSSS, Nova Scotia Department of Community Services, Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.
The OAP waitlist now exceeds 87,692 children with wait times of 5+ years. We break down current wait times by region and what you can do while waiting.
The Ontario autism waitlist has reached a historic high of 87,692 children. Learn about the causes, impacts, and what families can do while waiting for critical services.
In 2025, Spencer Carroll filed a Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario application against the Ontario government, arguing the 5-year autism waitlist constitutes disability discrimination. Here's what the case argues and why it matters for every waiting family.