All investigations use government-sourced data (FAO reports, MCCSS FOI releases, Ontario Budget documents). Figures are cross-verified to a single source of truth. Full methodology →
The investigation
The numbers aren't disputed, the question is why they persist.
Registered
88,175Children registered
Total in the Ontario Autism Program queue
CBC FOI Jan 2026
Funded
20,666Have active funding
Only 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 |
Press Desk
Source data, FOI documents, methodology notes, and interview availability for verified journalists. We respond within 24 hours on deadline.
Media contactSeven phases. Five sectors. One pattern. A forensic analysis of how Ontario is manufacturing the failure of public services, autism, schools, healthcare, utilities, and public land, using the leveraged-buyout playbook.
Auditor General Shelley Spence's 74-page Special Report on Special Education Needs, 15 recommendations, 13 agreed, 2 disagreed, read against the student-level consequences.
Not broken, structured. A business school analysis of why only 44.5% of $691M reaches therapy, why AccessOAP's $57.9M fee evades FIPPA, and what the OAP shares with $123.3B in school asset governance.
Four laws. Three years. Eight board takeovers. A forensic analysis of the legislative architecture transferring control of $123.3B in Ontario school assets.
$691.2M OAP spending breakdown, AccessOAP allocation, FIPPA accountability gaps, and the IPC response.
$691M spent. 44.5% reached core therapy. $57.9M went to AccessOAP, a private consortium exempt from FIPPA. A structural analysis of where accountability ends.
FAO identifies a $385M annual shortfall ($1.35B needed vs. $965M budgeted). Waitlist grew approximately 280% since 2019. Four government claims examined against their own records.
Approximately 280% waitlist growth since 2019. $385M annual funding gap (FAO). No public dashboard exists, waitlist data requires FOI requests. Five government promises tracked against documented outcomes.
Ontario's early intervention window is 0–6 years. Clinicians report their expertise is not reflected in OAP policy. The documented barriers: funding dependencies, limited consultation access, and discouragement of public comment.
Internal government documents confirm most children waiting for core therapy 'will not receive it soon.' Wait times grew from approximately 31 weeks to 5+ years. The gap between government announcements and what their own data shows.
Payments to Accerta entities grew 5,747% from 2021 to 2025, $2.5B combined from Ontario. On October 7, 2024, Accerta added the National Autism Strategy to its federal lobbying file. The public record, reviewed.
“Every number on this site came from a government document. FOI requests filed by the Ontario Autism Coalition and CBC. Budget reports. The FAO. The data isn’t in dispute — the question is whether the people responsible for it are accountable.”
Verified Facts
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