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Last updated:
Written by Spencer Carroll
Founder & Autism Advocate
What the budget delivered
Budget allocations are measured against the children still waiting.
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 |
1988
Records Retroactively Exempt
$57.9M
AccessOAP, Not Subject to FOI
$691.2M
OAP Spending With Limited Oversight
0
Auditor General Audits of AccessOAP
The Ontario government framed the Bill 97 FIPPA amendments as modernization. The Information and Privacy Commissioner disagreed.
Government: “These amendments modernize freedom of information for the digital age.”
IPC Commissioner Patricia Kosseim has expressed concern that the amendments would undermine the public’s right to access government records. In the Commissioner’s assessment, retroactively exempting ministerial briefing notes back to 1988 is about “hiding government-related business to evade public accountability.”
Government: “Delegated delivery is an efficient way to deliver autism services.”
FIPPA does not cover private operators like AccessOAP, which manages OAP intake and waitlist operations and administered $57.9M in 2023-24 (FAO). Families cannot FOI AccessOAP directly for records about their child’s waitlist position or service allocation decisions.
Government: “The public can still access information through existing channels.”
The retroactive exemption scope extends back to 1988, meaning records about foundational OAP policy decisions, ministerial briefings on autism program design, and draft funding models could all be withheld. Existing channels do not cover delegated operators.
Ontario’s autism program operates through a complex web of delegated delivery, private operators, and ministerial discretion. Transparency is the only mechanism families have to hold the system accountable.
The Ontario Budget 2026 was tabled on March 26. Here are the transparency indicators to evaluate:
How many children are on the Ontario autism waitlist in 2026?
As of March 4, 2026, 89,799 children are registered with the Ontario Autism Program. However, only 20,633 (23%) have an active Core Funding Agreement. This represents approximately 290% growth in registrations since 2019, with 69,166 children still waiting for essential funding.
Source: OAC FOI Mar 2026, FAO Report 2024 · Verify Link
Is the Ontario Autism Program underfunded?
Yes. The Financial Accountability Office (FAO) determined that $1.35 billion annually is needed to serve all registered children at 2018-19 service levels. The 2026-27 Ontario Budget allocated $965 million, leaving an estimated $385M+ annual shortfall. This gap is the primary driver of the perpetual 89,799+ child waitlist.
Source: Financial Accountability Office of Ontario [FAO] · 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.
$965M
Ontario allocated $965M to the Ontario Autism Program in 2026-27
According to the FAO (2020 report), OAP funding covers less than one-third of estimated need at 2018-19 service levels
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
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism — timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement