91,974
children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
March 30, 2026
CBC News investigates Ontario’s core autism funding wait
Direct answer
CBC News reviewed Ontario Autism Program progress reports obtained through a freedom of information request. Reporters Nicole Brockbank and Angelina King found that registrations kept growing while access to core funding remained limited.
CBC News · MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026 · Verified 2026-08-10
In brief
In short
- CBC News obtained government progress reports showing 88,175 children registered in the OAP as of January 7, 2026
- Only 20,666 of those registered children had an active core funding agreement; the rest were unfunded
Show all 5 factsShow fewer facts
- The current column (MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026) records 91,974 registered and 22.5% funded
- CBC found that registrations kept rising while the share of children with funding stayed low
- End The Wait Ontario and founder Spencer Carroll featured in the CBC investigation
Verified: 2026-08-10Scope: Ontario, Canada
CBC News · March 30, 2026 · Current figures: MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026, as of May 2026 · Verified 2026-08-10
On the record
Independent reporting confirms the data families have long reported.
Ontario's figures, as of May 2026 (MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026).
Registered
91,974Children registered
Total registered in the Ontario Autism Program
Funded
20,711Have active funding
22.5% of registered children
Without active agreement
71,263Without an active funding agreement
An administrative status; it does not confirm current service delivery.
Show as table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Children registered | 91,974 |
| Have active funding | 20,711 |
| Without an active funding agreement | 71,263 |
Source: MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026 · As of May 2026 · Verified 2026-08-10.
Reporters: Nicole Brockbank & Angelina KingPublisher: CBC News TorontoPublished: March 30, 2026
Attribution: This page summarizes coverage by CBC News published March 30, 2026, by reporters Nicole Brockbank and Angelina King of CBC Toronto's Enterprise Unit. Read the full article on CBC.ca.
91,974
Children registered in OAP
MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026
20,711
With active funding
MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026
77.5%
Unfunded
MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026
Current column source: MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026 · As of May 2026 · Verified 2026-08-10.
The figures at a glance
| Measure | CBC report · January 7, 2026 | Current column · May 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children registered | 88,175 | 91,974 | CBC News; MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026 |
| Active core funding agreements | 20,666 | 20,711 | CBC News; MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026 |
CBC report source: CBC News, January 7, 2026. Current source: MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026, as of May 2026; verified 2026-08-10.
What CBC found
CBC News reviewed Ontario Autism Program progress reports obtained through a freedom of information request. Reporters Nicole Brockbank and Angelina King found that registrations kept growing while access to core funding remained limited.
- Registrations Kept Growing
- Current program data shows 91,974 children registered as of May 2026. CBC reported that registrations rose throughout the records it reviewed. Source: MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026 and CBC News · May 2026.
- Funded Numbers Actually Dipped
- CBC found several reporting periods when the number of active funding agreements fell even as more children registered. Source: CBC News · March 30, 2026.
- Only 22.5% funded
- Current program data shows 20,711 of 91,974 registered children have active funding agreements. Source: MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026 · As of May 2026 · Verified 2026-08-10.
Families in the story
As reported by Nicole Brockbank and Angelina King for CBC News on March 30, 2026, Deny registered her son, Nico, in the program. She told CBC that he was still waiting for core services funding when the article was published.
The same CBC report says Alina Cameron and her daughter, Fiona, also waited for funding. Cameron told CBC that receiving consistent core services later helped her family.
Early intervention is key.
End The Wait Ontario in the Story
CBC News featured End The Wait Ontario as a resource created by founder Spencer Carroll to bring together data and tools for parents dealing with the system. CBC reported that his family has paid privately for services while waiting for government funding.
Only through accountability can we see whether or not these funds are being deployed responsibly.
Budget context
CBC reported that the Ontario government announced new OAP funding in the 2026 budget, bringing annual funding to $965M. Source: CBC News · March 30, 2026. The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services said access to core clinical services had grown under the government.
Government Response (via CBC News)
The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services told CBC News that under their government the number of kids in core clinical services has tripled. The ministry also noted that foundational family services, urgent response services, caregiver mediated early years programs, and the entry to school program are accessible for all registered families.
According to the CBC News article, when CBC asked why there are periods where funded numbers decrease, the ministry's statement did not address the question about funding dips.
Cameron of the Ontario Autism Coalition responded that last year's increase did not move the needle on the core wait list, and called for the province to commit all new funding to families for core clinical services. She said the low share of registered children with access to core funding was troubling.
Published by CBC News, March 30, 2026, by Nicole Brockbank and Angelina King. CBC Toronto Enterprise Unit. Read the full article on CBC.ca
How CBC's figures compare with today's
CBC's January 7, 2026 column recorded 88,175 registered and 20,666 with active funding; the current column (MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026) records 91,974 registered and 22.5% funded — the same growing gap between registrations and service delivery. Our Data Hub provides the full picture with interactive charts and FOI source documents.
Next day follow-up
CBC Ottawa Morning, live radio interview
March 31, 2026, Spencer Carroll interviewed live on CBC Radio One about his son's wait for autism services. Aired to Ottawa's political and public service audience.
Listen to the interviewThe Trillium, Budget Response
OAC demands new funding go 'exclusively' to core therapies
March 27, 2026, Sneh Duggal
Read coverageThe Trillium, profile
Ottawa dad boosts 'accountability' with autism waitlist website
March 25, 2026, Sneh Duggal
Read coverageLegal action
Carroll v. Ontario
(HRTO File 2025-62264-I)
Spencer Carroll's application to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario challenges the OAP waitlist as systemic disability discrimination under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
HRTO Case Disclaimer
The legal claims in Carroll v. Ontario (HRTO 2025-62264-I) involve specific individual circumstances and are distinct from the general advocacy positions expressed on this website. This case alleges that wait times during documented critical developmental windows may constitute discrimination under Ontario's Human Rights Code.
Registrations keep rising
while access remains limited. 91,974 children registered (as of May 2026). 71,263 without a funding agreement. 77.5% in that same position. CBC News found that the funded share remained low across the reports it reviewed. Source: MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026; verified 2026-08-10.
- MCCSS Ontario Autism Program figures, May 13, 2026, obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition under Freedom of Information. Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (Ontario), obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition (May 13, 2026)
- Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services: Spending Plan Review (2024). Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (2024)
Related guides
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Sources on this page
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Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.
Facts4
Sources3
22.5%
Only 20,711 children have active funding agreements (22.5%), less than one in four
OAP registrations jumped 21% since mid-2024, with the number of funded children dipping in some periods despite hundreds more registering
$965M
Ontario allocated $965M to the Ontario Autism Program in 2026-27
Last system verification: 2026-08-10. Next scheduled update: 2026-11-05.
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