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
89,799Children registered
Total in the Ontario Autism Program queue
MCCSS FOI · Mar 2026
Funded
20,633Have active funding
Only 23% of registered children
MCCSS FOI · Mar 2026
Waiting
69,166Still waiting
Registered. Diagnosed. Un-funded.
MCCSS FOI · Mar 2026
Verified , MCCSS FOI · Mar 2026
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Children registered | 89,799 |
| Have active funding | 20,633 |
| Still waiting | 69,166 |
Press Desk
Source data, FOI documents, methodology notes, and interview availability for verified journalists. We respond within 24 hours on deadline.
Media contactNot 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 that moves control of Ontario's $123.3B school-building estate (FAO replacement value, province-wide) closer to the Minister.
$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.
ETWO analysis using FAO methodology identifies a $385M annual shortfall ($1.35B needed vs. $965M budgeted). Waitlist grew approximately 290% since 2019. Four government claims examined against their own records.
Approximately 290% waitlist growth since 2019. $385M annual funding gap (ETWO analysis using FAO methodology). 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 multi-year waits (OAC FOI analysis). 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.
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What did CBC News find about the Ontario autism waitlist in 2026?
CBC News reviewed 18 months of bi-weekly OAP progress reports obtained via FOI (Jun 2024 – Jan 2026). They found 89,799 children registered as of January 2026 with only 20,633 receiving funding — still under 25%. Registrations jumped 21% since mid-2024. In some periods, funded children decreased while hundreds more registered.
Source: CBC News Investigation, Mar 30, 2026 · Verify Link
Does Ontario publish transparent autism waitlist data?
Ontario does not publish transparent, real-time waitlist data for the Ontario Autism Program. Families do not know their position in the queue or when services will begin. The Financial Accountability Office provides periodic reports, but detailed enrollment timelines are not publicly available.
Source: FAO Report 2023-24; MCCSS OAP Program Data
Where does Ontario autism program money go?
In 2023-24, Ontario spent $691.2 million on the Ontario Autism Program (OAP), but only $307.3 million (44.5%) reached Core Clinical Services — direct therapy. The intake system AccessOAP, operated by Accerta Services Inc. (affiliated with the Ontario Dental Association), received $57.9 million to administer registrations. That is 55 cents of every dollar not reaching a therapist's office. Source: Financial Accountability Office of Ontario, 2023-24 report.
Source: Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO) 2023-24 Report; MCCSS FOI · Verify Link
Written by Spencer Carroll
Founder & Autism Advocate
Evidence on this page
Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.
89,799
children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
23%
Only 20,633 children have active funding agreements (23%) — 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
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism — timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement