The Trajectory

A Waitlist That Only Grows

Every month, approximately 907 more children join Ontario's unfunded autism services backlog. Since the 2019 program redesign, registrations are well above the number of active funding agreements.

The current record

Direct answer

Every month, approximately 907 more children join Ontario's unfunded autism services backlog. Since the 2019 program redesign, registrations are well above the number of active funding agreements.

MCCSS Ontario Autism Program figures, May 13, 2026, obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition under Freedom of Information · Verified 2026-11-03

Registered
91,974
children in OAP as of May 2026
Funded
20,711
with signed core funding agreements
Unfunded Backlog
71,263
children still waiting for funding
Monthly Growth
+907
net additions to the backlog per month

Source: MCCSS Ontario Autism Program figures, May 13, 2026, obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition under Freedom of Information. | Updated May 13, 2026

Registered children and active funding agreements, published snapshots

Registered childrenActive funding agreementsPublished registration and active funding agreement figures, as of May 2026. Source: MCCSS Ontario Autism Program figures, May 13, 2026, obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition under Freedom of Information.
Ontario Autism Program91,97420,711025,00050,00075,000100,000
Registered children compared with active funding agreements
SubjectRegistered childrenActive funding agreements
Ontario Autism Program91,97420,711

Published registration and active funding agreement points, 2019–2026. Gaps are not interpolated.

Net monthly growth (907) is measured from Jan 7 to May 13, 2026 in the same MCCSS bi-weekly series (CBC; OAC). 22.5% of registered children have active funding agreements.

Published registration snapshots

Published Ontario Autism Program registration snapshots, 2019–2026. Source: MCCSS Ontario Autism Program figures, May 13, 2026, obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition under Freedom of Information.
SnapshotPublished labelRegisteredSource
2019-04-012019 (Budget waitlist figure)23,0002019 Ontario Budget (children on the autism waitlist)
2024-02-29End of 2023-24 (FAO)70,176Financial Accountability Office of Ontario, MCCSS Spending Plan Review (2023-24)
2024-06-302024 (mid-year FOI)72,871CBC News FOI - OAP bi-weekly progress reports (mid-2024 baseline)
2026-01-07Jan 2026 (CBC FOI)88,175OAP bi-weekly progress report, January 7, 2026 (CBC News FOI)
2026-03-04Mar 2026 (MCCSS FOI)89,799OAP bi-weekly progress report, March 4, 2026 (MCCSS) - via the Ontario Autism Coalition (FOI release CSS2026-0749)
2026-05-13May 2026 (MCCSS/OAC FOI)91,974MCCSS Ontario Autism Program figures, May 13, 2026 - obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition under Freedom of Information, published July 2026