2025 annual report: Poverty Reduction Strategy

Minister’s message

As we prepare a new five-year Poverty Reduction Strategy, I reflect on our government’s continued dedication to empowering people in communities throughout Ontario so that no one is left behind.

Our government’s efforts are centred on building pathways to jobs and increasing independence and financial resilience by connecting people experiencing poverty with training, health services and other supports. We have made progress in this regard, and we are now gearing up to launch a new Poverty Reduction Strategy for our new reality.

As the United States’ tariffs against Canada remain a threat to Ontario’s jobs and public resources, our government continues to invest in better delivery of services and strategies to make life more affordable.

At the same time, we are protecting the people, industries and jobs that are driving opportunity and stability, and supporting Ontario’s economy. Protecting families and individuals from poverty and continuing to grow a resilient economy allows our government to invest in health care, education and other critical services for people across the province.

We also continue to create conditions for people to learn and grow, build their skills and enjoy more independence — so they can succeed in a changing job market.

To support adults looking for jobs, we have transformed the province’s employment services by integrating social assistance employment services and other government employment services into Employment Ontario.

And as people enter the workforce, we are protecting the value of their work against the forces of inflation. Our most recent minimum wage increase brought Ontario’s minimum wage to $17.60 an hour — one of the highest in the country. The minimum wage will continue to increase to keep pace with inflation.

To help people earn more and start in-demand careers, we have invested in training that will help workers upskill and reskill for jobs that pay well and further strengthen our economy.

We also continued to deliver inflation-protected supports to people with disabilities who rely on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), and for families receiving the Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities (ACSD). In July 2025, we raised ODSP rates and the monthly maximum ACSD amounts, reflecting a cumulative increase of 20% since September 2022.

To help support students and families, we increased our investment in the Student Nutrition Program and the First Nations Student Nutrition Program by $5 million, for a total investment of $37.5 million this year. To further support these programs, we relaunched the Healthy Students Brighter Ontario community fundraising campaign in recognition of the key role grassroots partnerships have in building stronger communities. Partner organizations will work with local businesses and community leaders towards an additional fundraising goal of $5 million.

As part of the Black Youth Action Plan’s Economic Empowerment program, in 2025–26, we invested $16.5 million in more than 40 programs delivered by community partners that support Black youth and young professionals to develop skills for careers in high-demand sectors.

Over the next 10 years, Ontario is also investing more than $30 billion, including approximately $23 billion in capital grants, to support new and redeveloped schools and child care projects. This investment will benefit our children, families and communities for generations to come.

In the meantime, we are taking measures to control household expenses. For example, we have set the rent increase guideline at 2.1% for 2026 to help protect tenants from rising rental costs.

In 2025, we also announced $10.9 billion over 12 years in energy efficiency — the largest energy‑efficiency investment in our history — designed to help reduce energy costs, lower carbon emissions and avoid costly infrastructure expansion. Eligible consumers receive a 23.5% rebate on the pre-HST portion of their electricity bills, putting money back in people’s pockets.

Our work is not done, and it remains a collaborative effort, just as it was when we launched the 2020 Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Last year, we asked people throughout the province to share their thoughts on how we can further reduce poverty. We sought input from not-for-profit, private and public sector organizations, as well as Ontarians across the province. We are thankful for everyone who shared their input and perspectives, including new Canadians, women, people with disabilities, Indigenous people, single parents and racialized Ontarians. Their feedback is key to planning Ontario’s future poverty reduction efforts.

As we look forward to launching a new strategy, we remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting Ontario and to growing a resilient economy where no one is left behind.

Michael Parsa
Minister of Children, Community and Social Services

Introduction

Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, Building a Strong Foundation for Success: Reducing Poverty in Ontario (2020–2025), comprises a series of initiatives designed to support vulnerable populations, strengthen Ontario’s economy and create high-quality jobs that offer better wages. Alongside these priorities, Ontario is focused on keeping costs down for families and businesses at a time when affordability pressures are rising and external economic risks are adding uncertainty.

To advance these commitments, the Poverty Reduction Strategy is anchored in four pillars that focus on encouraging job creation and connecting people to employment, linking individuals with the right supports and services, making life more affordable while building financial resiliency and accelerating action to drive progress.

Since 2020, Ontario has made significant investments to support stability, affordability and long-term recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts have included reskilling initiatives for workers, targeted supports for vulnerable communities and major infrastructure and health care investments.

The 2025 annual report highlights this progress, underscoring Ontario’s continued focus on affordability, financial security and connecting residents with employment opportunities as part of building a stronger and more inclusive economy.

As this strategy concludes, Ontario is developing a new Poverty Reduction Strategy that will build on recent achievements while responding to emerging challenges such as rising costs and broader economic risks. To inform this work, the government engaged members of the public through an extensive and accessible consultation process that included targeted surveys and written submissions. Overall, the government received more than 3,600 responses from individuals with lived experience and/or at heightened risk of poverty, as well as non-profit, Indigenous and public sector organizations and employers across Ontario.

This feedback will directly inform the development of the next strategy, shaping its priorities, actions and measures to ensure it is responsive to lived experience, evidence and emerging economic realities. By grounding the strategy in what Ontarians have shared, the province aims to strengthen the impact of government initiatives, better target supports for vulnerable populations and deliver meaningful progress on reducing poverty across the province.

2025 context in Ontario

Trade tensions and tariffs have increased economic uncertainty. While Ontario’s economy has remained resilient, it has been negatively impacted by the United States’ trade policy.

To protect Ontario, the province has taken significant steps to address affordability challenges, strengthen economic resilience and reduce poverty through investments in job creation, skills training, housing, and supports and services for people that need them.

Additionally, measures outlined in the 2025 Ontario Budget: A Plan to Protect Ontario focus on building housing supply to make life more affordable, expanding access to primary care and health infrastructure to improve well-being, and investing in education and skills development to prepare students and workers for future opportunities. The plan to protect Ontario also prioritizes support for vulnerable populations by maintaining income security programs and enhancing services for underrepresented groups, including Indigenous Peoples and people with disabilities.

These actions aim to mitigate the impact of rising costs, regional disparities and systemic barriers, supporting access to social and health services, keeping more money in people’s pockets and building pathways to employment.

Progress on the Poverty Reduction Strategy Pillars

Pillar one: encouraging job creation and connecting people to employment

The province continues to drive job creation and help people access meaningful employment in high-demand sectors to meet local labour market needs. These efforts aim to reduce barriers to employment, deliver targeted supports for priority populations and expand opportunities in skilled trades and other areas of work.

Integrated Employment Services

The Ontario government expanded its Integrated Employment Services (IES) system, which provides job seekers and employers with a comprehensive employment and training platform that is accessible, responsive and accountable. The program helps individuals leave social assistance when they can work and empowers them to find rewarding jobs that enable them to support themselves and their families. This integrated approach contributes to a sustainable and inclusive social assistance system and sets job seekers on a path toward greater security and independence.

The province completed the final expansion of IES to Toronto and Northeastern and Northwestern Ontario in early 2025. This expansion ensures that Service System Managers (SSMs) now deliver integrated, streamlined and outcomes-focused employment services provincewide. These SSMs support job seekers, including people receiving social assistance and people with disabilities or facing other systemic barriers, in finding sustainable, rewarding careers.

Employment support for priority groups

Ontario is committed to investing in programs that support underrepresented groups, including women, youth and Black, Indigenous and other racialized people, by providing access to career training, education programs and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Through the Women’s Economic Security Program, the province is investing in initiatives that help women achieve financial independence and long-term stability. In 2025, Ontario allocated $1.24 million over three years to support the PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise – PAROBiz program, which helps low-income women start and grow their own businesses. The government is also investing $750,000  over three years to provide skilled trades training for low-income, Francophone women in Sudbury. This funding is part of the government’s investment of up to $26.7 million over three years in 25 local programs across the province that provide career training opportunities for women, helping them gain the skills, knowledge and experience they need to find a job, start a business and achieve financial independence.

Through the 2025 Budget, Ontario is investing $1.5 million in the Women’s Economic Leadership and Legacy Fund to reduce systemic barriers to retention and advancement for experienced, diverse and underserved women in high-growth sectors across Ontario. The Fund builds on existing government investments in recruitment for in-demand sectors to enhance women’s retention and leadership development.

Ontario continues to invest in improving outcomes for Black children, youth and families through community-driven programs. In 2025, the province invested $16.5 million in the Black Youth Action Plan to fund more than 40 Black-focused programs delivered by community partners that support Black children and families. Since early 2023, the plan’s Economic Empowerment stream has helped more than 33,000 Black youth and young professionals, supporting the next generation of Black leaders in sectors such as health, information technology, film, the arts, automotive and other skilled trades. This investment is providing community organizations and Black-led businesses with the resources needed to continue providing services to children, youth and families throughout various life stages and will increase social and economic opportunities for Black children, youth and families across the province.

The Ontario government invested an additional $2 million in Futurpreneur Canada to help more young people develop and launch businesses and strengthen Ontario’s economy in the face of U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty. The funding is supporting 320 young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 39 with access to financing and mentorship to start and grow successful businesses. Since 2021, Ontario has provided $9 million in funding to Futurpreneur, helping to start and grow more than 1,500 businesses and create more than 5,900 jobs across the province, including in Northern, rural and remote communities.

The province continues to improve long-term outcomes for youth leaving the child welfare system since launching the Ready, Set, Go (RSG) program in 2023. The launch of the RSG program included an initial three-year $170 million investment (2023–24 to 2025–26). The program helps youth access supports to achieve financial independence through life skills development and supports to pursue post-secondary education, training and pathways to employment. In 2025, the RSG program continued to provide tailored supports to eligible youth aged 18 to 22 during their transition to adulthood. These supports provide consistent access to life-skills training, educational opportunities, apprenticeships, skilled trades pathways and financial stability projects, enabling youth to plan their futures with confidence and reducing their risk of poverty after leaving care.

The province-funded Youth in Policing Initiative (YIPI) grew in 2025, providing youth aged 15 to 18 from diverse and priority communities with paid summer and after-school employment opportunities alongside local police services. This year, approximately 800 youth participated in summer and after-school YIPI programs delivered by 39 police services. This initiative reflects Ontario’s ongoing commitment to promote youth participation and exposure to the work environment through diverse, educational and productive work assignments with the police service.

Enhancing skills and protecting workers

As part of Ontario's commitment to protecting workers, the province is equipping people looking for work with the skills they need to get sought-after jobs, building a more resilient workforce by creating pathways to employment and financial security.

The province is helping job seekers train and upskill for in-demand jobs through the Skills Development Fund (SDF). In 2025, Ontario expanded the SDF by nearly $1 billion over three years, for a total of $2.5 billion. This funding will help train and reskill Ontario workers, including those directly impacted by layoffs resulting from tariffs and ensure they have the necessary support to find good-paying jobs and help strengthen Ontario’s economy.

Additionally, Ontario allocated $8.6 million through the SDF to help more than 1,700 women across the GTA access training and prepare for in-demand jobs in the skilled trades. These investments are designed to protect workers by giving them the tools they need to land rewarding, well-paid jobs while keeping Ontario competitive in the face of U.S. tariffs.

The Ontario government is delivering on its plan to protect Ontario workers through a $70 million investment in expanded training and employment services for those affected by U.S. tariffs and policies. As part of this investment, the government is investing $20 million in Protect Ontario Workers Employment Response Centres (POWER Centres). These centres will provide access to enhanced training, upskilling and employment services to workers affected by, or at risk of, layoffs. By building and expanding on partnerships with unions, community organizations, colleges and universities, the centres will connect workers to more training opportunities, job search assistance and Employment Ontario programs. Through these partnerships, the province can be proactive. As soon as a layoff is anticipated, ministry staff reach out to the workers of the organization to offer support through the POWER Centres, within 24 hours.

In 2025, the government also invested an additional $50 million in Better Jobs Ontario to expand access to vocational and skills training for in-demand jobs. This investment will help job seekers, including people facing challenges finding a stable job (like youth and people receiving social assistance), with up to $35,000 for costs such as tuition, transportation and child care.

Support for Ontario businesses

Through the Invest Ontario Fund, the province is investing an additional $600 million to give Invest Ontario greater stability in executing on its mandate of job creation and investment attraction. To date, Invest Ontario has announced more than $8.2 billion in investments, which are expected to create almost 10,200 jobs across the province. Additionally, Ontario has established the Protect Ontario Financing Program, a fund of up to $5 billion designed to provide businesses with critical support to protect jobs, transform businesses and grow strategic sectors of the economy that are facing significant tariff-related business disruptions.

Pillar two: connecting people with the right supports and services

Ontario is directing investments toward targeted supports that help individuals and families quickly access the services they need to improve long-term outcomes. These initiatives support vulnerable groups by improving health care access, expanding services for survivors of gender-based violence, enhancing housing programs and promoting youth well-being through integrated supports.

Improving health infrastructure and connecting people to primary care

Ontario is committed to improving health care access in the province, ensuring that the people and communities that need it most are getting the care they need, and supporting job retention and continued economic independence.

As part of Ontario’s $2.1 billion Primary Care Action Plan, the government has implemented a broad series of initiatives with the goal of connecting every person in Ontario to convenient ongoing primary care by 2029, including:

• creating and expanding more than 130 primary care teams through a $235 million investment in 
  2025–26 to connect more than 300,000 people in Ontario to ongoing primary care clinicians
• investing $300 million over four years to build up to 18 new and expanded community-based primary care teaching clinics that will combine direct patient care with hands-on learning for primary care learners, allowing up to 300,000 more people to be connected to ongoing primary care
• investing more than $250 million in 2026–27 to launch the next call for proposals to create and expand approximately 75 additional primary care teams that will connect 500,000 more people to a primary care clinician

The government is also investing $1.1 billion over three years to strengthen critical home care services, supporting an 8% increase in home care volumes in 2025–26 and to support the expansion and sustainability of the Hospital to Home program. This funding, along with previous investments, is delivering real measurable improvements, including more consistency of care for patients, and a 94% reduction in waitlisted patients for personal support services from 2022–23 to 2024–25.

Supports and services for victims and survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking

The province is committed to improving the safety and well-being of women and people who have experienced gender-based violence, promoting safety, financial independence and economic security.

The government is protecting young people and vulnerable communities with a $345 million investment to renew Ontario’s Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy — the largest investment of its kind in the country. Since its launch in 2020, the strategy has trained more than 1,000 front-line workers and helped tens of thousands of survivors, as well as children who were being or at risk of being trafficked, leading to hundreds of charges and arrests.

As part of the strategy, the province also launched a new Children at Risk of Exploitation (CARE) Unit in Kenora to help protect children and youth in the region from sex trafficking and support survivors. CARE Units are specialized intervention teams of child protection workers, police officers and Indigenous liaisons who work collaboratively to identify and locate children and youth who are being sex trafficked or are at risk, connect them to services and support investigations to hold offenders accountable. CARE Units serve more than 200 children aged 12 to 17 every year.

To support the Kenora CARE Unit, the Ontario government is providing $6 million over three years to increase trauma-informed and specialized supports in the region for children and youth who have been sex trafficked. As part of this investment, there will be a new licensed out-of-home care residence for survivors and a new Youth-In-Transition Worker in the region, specialized in anti-human trafficking. In addition, the Ontario government funded two additional Anti-Human Trafficking Youth-in-Transition Workers in the Central Region in 2024–25.

Other initiatives that support victims of gender-based violence include:

• an additional $26.7 million over two years in shelter spaces to protect survivors of gender-based violence and to strengthen the Family Court Support Worker program. New funding includes:
  • $8.25 million in 2025–26, with an increase to $15.7 million in ongoing funding beginning in  2026–27 to provide annual support for more than 300 shelter spaces across Ontario, and
  • an additional $2.7 million annually beginning in 2025–26 to strengthen the Family Court Support Worker program
• $20.7 million in 2025–26 for the Victim Crisis Assistance Ontario program so that victims and survivors of crime have access to the services and supports they need
• $4.2 million to expand the Child Victim Witness Program
• $750,000 over three years to improve access to the Independent Legal Advice Program for victims and survivors of sexual assault

Enhancing housing supports and services

The province continues to invest in housing initiatives that focus on preventing homelessness for people at risk of housing insecurity, building pathways to economic independence and security.

In 2025–26, Ontario allocated nearly $1.7 billion to expand and improve community and supportive housing, as well as to address homelessness among vulnerable Ontarians. This includes approximately $608 million in provincial and federal funding allocated through initiatives such as the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative, the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative and the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit Program under the National Housing Strategy, to maintain and create more community housing and provide housing assistance and supports. This funding also includes $654 million through the Homelessness Prevention Program that supports Ontario’s 47 municipal service managers to provide affordable housing and support services for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

Ontario also received federal approval of its final three-year National Housing Strategy Action Plan in March 2025, securing approximately $1.5 billion in federal funding over the next three years for three provincially delivered National Housing Strategy programs. This funding underscores Ontario's ongoing advocacy with the federal government to ensure housing sector partners have the necessary resources to protect, renew and expand community housing across the province.

The province continues to create safer communities and support people struggling with housing insecurity, addiction and mental health issues by creating 28 Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs across the province — nine more HART Hubs than initially planned.

HART Hubs support individuals to connect with mental health supportive housing services, as well as shelters and transitional beds. These hubs also offer treatment and recovery services that include mental health services, primary care, substance use care and wraparound services. These new Hubs are part of the province’s plan to support safer communities through a nearly $550 million investment, while also banning drug injection sites from operating within 200 metres of schools and licensed child care centres.

The province’s continued focus on mental health and addiction supports is also reflected in its landmark $3.8 billion commitment, announced in 2020 through the Roadmap to Wellness, to create a comprehensive and connected system that offers high-quality, evidence-based services and supports where and when people need them.

These investments are part of the government’s commitment to preventing, addressing and reducing homelessness, including chronic homelessness, in Ontario.

Enhancing the long-term outcomes and well-being of youth

Ontario prioritizes supporting students and youth by ensuring access to essential supports, such as safe housing, nutrition programs and specialized services, which improve educational attainment, health and stability and create pathways to employment and financial security.

To strengthen these efforts, the government is investing $1 million as part of its Homelessness Prevention Program to protect young people, including those at risk of homelessness, by building a 10-bed youth home in Hastings County. The new home will offer residents skills training, counselling and job-finding resources to help them transition and find meaningful work in the community.

In addition to housing supports, Ontario is also focused on ensuring students have access to healthy meals. The Ontario government is protecting students by increasing its investment in the Student Nutrition Program and the First Nations Student Nutrition Program by $5 million, for a total investment of $37.5 million in 2025–26. The two programs will serve more than 800,000 students in provincially funded schools and are projected to deliver more than 140 million healthy meals and snacks under the Student Nutrition Program, and more than 1.4 million meals and snacks to students in Indigenous communities this school year. To further support these programs, Ontario also relaunched the Healthy Students Brighter Ontario community fundraising campaign, recognizing the key role grassroots partnerships have in building stronger communities. As part of the campaign, partner organizations worked with local businesses and community leaders towards an additional fundraising goal of $5 million.

Ontario is also expanding support for children and youth with special needs. The government is increasing funding for the Ontario Autism Program by $175 million in 2025–26, bringing this year’s total funding to $779 million. The additional funding will help more children access core clinical services and further boost sector capacity, building on the work the government has done to support families of children and youth on the autism spectrum.

The Ontario government is investing $43.9 million over three years to continue Ontario’s After School Program (ASP), keeping more than 13,000 children and youth active and healthy each year at approximately 400 sites in more than 80 priority neighbourhoods across the province. As part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario, this funding will ensure the ASP can continue to provide fun, safe, supervised sport and physical activity programming, along with a nutritious snack, at low or no cost, setting students up for success inside and outside the classroom.

Finally, through the Inclusive Grassroots Recreation (IGR) program, we invested $2.92 million in
2024–25 to provide 37,000 children and youth from marginalized groups with affordable, accessible and inclusive opportunities to participate in sport and recreation.

Pillar three: making life more affordable and building financial resiliency

Ontario is taking bold steps to strengthen economic security and improve quality of life for individuals and families across the province. Through targeted investments in energy efficiency and affordability, supports for priority populations, measures to help Ontarians save and earn more and building capacity in education, the province is delivering on its commitment to reduce financial vulnerability and create opportunities for long-term prosperity. These actions reflect a comprehensive approach to lowering household costs, supporting inclusive communities and ensuring that Ontarians have the tools and resources they need to thrive today and in the future.

Energy efficiency and affordability

Ontario remains committed to helping households lower utility costs by investing in energy efficiency and affordability initiatives, making it easier for families to manage expenses and focus resources on essential needs while strengthening long-term economic security.

In 2025, Ontario unveiled its largest-ever investment in energy efficiency, a $10.9‐billion, 12‐year framework aimed at helping families and businesses reduce energy costs, lower carbon emissions and avoid costly infrastructure expansion.

This framework includes investments in 14 new and existing programs, including:

• the Energy Affordability Program, which provides personalized, free electricity-saving measures — such as replacement appliances, weather stripping and heat pumps — to participating households, reducing electricity bills by between $100 and $750 per year.
• the Remote First Nations Energy Efficiency Program, which provides funding support to remote First Nations communities to implement energy efficiency projects that will help them manage energy use more effectively to save on energy costs and increase the comfort of their homes and businesses.
• the Ontario Electricity Rebate (OER), which provides households, small businesses, farms and long-term care homes with a 23.5% rebate on the pre‐HST subtotal of their electricity bills.
  • The OER is reviewed and adjusted annually on November 1.

In addition, the Ontario government is taking decisive action to build a more competitive, resilient and self-reliant economy by introducing the Protect Ontario by Securing Affordable Energy for Generations Act, 2025. This legislation will support major growth in the province’s energy system to meet rising demand, while keeping energy affordable, secure, reliable and clean for generations to come.

Together, these actions aim to enhance energy affordability for vulnerable families, reduce financial strain and promote sustainable communities across Ontario.

Continued supports for priority populations

The province is committed to supporting priority populations, enabling stable income, continuing access to essential services and helping reduce financial vulnerability.

Since 2022, Ontario has increased Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) rates and Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities Program (ACSD) maximum monthly amounts by 20%. This includes a 2.8% increase in 2025, marking the fourth increase since 2022, with future increases tied to inflation and adjusted annually. This ongoing support helps people with disabilities and families caring for children with disabilities maintain a stable income and reduce financial vulnerability.

Ontario also exempted the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) as income for social assistance to ensure the CDB gives meaningful support to social assistance recipients in 2025. This means that people receiving financial assistance under ODSP, Ontario Works or ACSD will get up to an additional $200 a month from the federal government, if eligible, without impact to their social assistance.

Building on efforts to improve quality of life for seniors, work completed in 2025 through the Seniors Community Grant Program will pave the way for a new stream in 2026–27 focused on funding projects that positively impact senior Veterans. These initiatives reflect Ontario’s commitment to improving the quality of life for older adults across the province, ensuring older Ontarians remain independent and engaged and can live safely.

Ontario also continues to provide access to financial assistance and community supports to Veterans to help keep costs down and improve their health and well-being. For example, the Soldiers’ Aid Commission provides eligible Veterans and their family members up to $3,000 each year to help pay for essential services and supports.

Helping Ontarians earn and save more

Ontario continues to implement measures that help Ontarians save and earn more by reducing unnecessary financial burdens and increasing the minimum wage for Ontario workers.

The province increased the minimum wage from $17.20 to $17.60 an hour effective October 1, 2025, to support workers. This annual wage increase is based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index of 2.4% and brought Ontario’s minimum wage to the second-highest provincial rate in Canada. Additionally, as part of its plan to protect Ontario, the government is continuing to lower costs for hard-working families and support local businesses by permanently cutting the Gasoline Tax rate by 5.7 cents per litre and the Fuel (diesel) Tax rate by 5.3 cents per litre.

Ontario continues to build on the success of One Fare, which is saving transit users in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area an average of up to $1,600 per year. In 2025, the province announced a two-year extension of the program to continue keeping transit costs down for riders. Since launching in 2024, One Fare has saved Ontarians nearly $200 million and enabled nearly 62 million free transfers across participating transit agencies.

Building capacity in education and accelerating student success

Ontario is investing in education infrastructure to ensure students have access to high-quality learning environments and pathways to future employment.

As part of its plan to protect Ontario and build a more competitive, resilient and self-reliant province, the government invested approximately $83 million through the Building Ontario Fund to create a new, multi-phased student housing development at Toronto Metropolitan University. The first phase of the project will result in a new 21-storey tower at 100 Bond Street, revitalizing a key area of the city and making student housing more affordable in Ontario’s most competitive housing market.

Through the Capital Priorities Program, the province invested $1.3 billion to build 30 new schools and 15 school expansions across Ontario, creating more than 25,000 new student spaces and more than 1,600 new licensed child care spaces. These projects address critical needs in growing communities and provide students with safe, high-quality facilities.

In addition, under Protect Ontario, the province is continuing to address critical needs in growing areas of the province to provide students with modern learning spaces and help future generations learn. This is why Ontario is investing more than $30 billion over the next 10 years, including approximately $23 billion in capital grants, to support new and redeveloped schools and child care projects.

These investments will provide students with a foundation that will help set them up for success.

Pillar four: accelerating action and driving progress

The government is working closely with communities and sector partners to drive economic recovery and create opportunities for all Ontarians by improving service connectivity and accessibility. These efforts include building more homes, supporting growth in Northern Ontario and ensuring people can access the training and education needed to secure new jobs in a changing economy.

Building more homes

Ontario is making unprecedented investments in housing-enabling infrastructure to support faster homebuilding, strengthen communities and drive economic growth. These investments will unlock tens of thousands of new homes across the province while creating jobs and building the critical systems needed for thriving communities.

To date, Ontario has invested nearly $1.7 billion through the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program–Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund (MHIP-HEWSF) to help municipalities build, expand and rehabilitate critical drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, enabling approximately 700,000 new homes.

Approximately $1 billion in MHIP-HEWSF funding is supporting 93 projects to enable the construction of approximately 240,000 new homes in 101 small, rural and Northern municipalities.

Ontario also partnered with the Government of Canada and the City of Toronto to invest $975 million to accelerate the delivery of Waterfront Toronto’s revitalization plan. This plan will help create more than 14,000 new homes, including affordable rental housing, along Toronto’s Waterfront at Quayside and Ookwemin Minising (formerly Villiers Island) setting the stage for future waterfront destinations. According to Waterfront Toronto, once complete, this investment will create an estimated 100,000 skilled trades jobs on Toronto’s waterfront and add $13.2 billion to the economy.

Roads, highways and public transit

Ontario is investing in modern transportation infrastructure to keep people and goods moving, reduce congestion and connect communities. These projects will deliver faster and more convenient transit, expand road and highway networks and create opportunities for jobs and economic growth across the province.

In March 2025, the Ontario government awarded the construction contract for the East Harbour Transit Hub, with construction officially beginning in June 2025. Once complete, the East Harbour Transit Hub will improve access to transit for thousands of residents, offering direct connections to GO Transit and the future Ontario Line. This project supports the creation of good-paying jobs in the skilled trades. In addition, investments to expand the GO network are expected to generate 8,300 jobs in the first 12 years of construction and delivery. This new transit hub is part of the government’s plan to deliver faster, more convenient transit across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Supporting growth in Ontario’s North

Ontario is investing in critical infrastructure to strengthen Northern communities, improve connectivity and unlock economic opportunities. These investments will renew local roads, expand transportation links and support resource development, helping Northern Ontario grow, create jobs and build resilient communities for the future.

Building on this commitment, the Ontario government is investing $400 million to help renew and rehabilitate critical infrastructure in small, rural and Northern communities. The funding is being delivered through the 2026 Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund as part of the government’s more than $200 billion capital plan to protect Ontario by investing in key public infrastructure that will keep workers on the job and strengthen the economy in the face of tariffs and economic uncertainty.

The government has also completed the North Bay Rail Bypass, marking a major milestone in the province’s plan to bring back Northlander passenger rail service to northern Ontario.

Achieving Indigenous prosperity and well-being

Ontario continues to collaborate with Indigenous communities to promote economic growth, prosperity and well-being by investing in programs that support housing, economic development and long-term regional growth. Through targeted funding and collaborative agreements, the province aims to create meaningful opportunities that enhance community well-being and contribute to shared prosperity.

To support housing stability, the government of Ontario invested $41.5 million into the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program. Through this program, the province partners with Indigenous program administrators to deliver supportive housing for Indigenous people living off-reserve, providing housing assistance, such as rent supplements and housing allowances, and support services to Indigenous people who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness. Through social assistance, the government of Ontario also invests more than $10 million to provide housing-related support to low-income Indigenous people on‐reserve.

Starting in 2024–25, the province invested an additional $5 million for the delivery of the Ontario Works program in First Nations communities. The province is also working to expand ODSP in First Nations communities. Implementation began with ODSP delivery in Mamaweswen (North Shore Tribal Council) in July 2023 and M’Chigeeng First Nation in January 2024. First Nations delivery of ODSP allows designated First Nations agencies to provide on-reserve culturally appropriate, community-based services like housing and wellness supports.

To bolster job creation in First Nations communities across the province, the government is also investing up to $8 million over the next three years in the Ontario First Nations Economic Developers Association. This funding will support their work delivering training, mentorship and professional networking for First Nations economic development officers and entrepreneurs. As part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario, this investment will help boost local economic development, business opportunities and job creation in First Nations communities across the province.

The 2025 Budget announced Ontario is tripling the total amount of provincial loan guarantees available under the Indigenous Opportunities Financing Program (IOFP), formerly the Aboriginal Loan Guarantee Program, to $3 billion to support Indigenous participation in more sectors, including electricity, critical minerals, resource development and related infrastructure components, offering generational economic opportunities for Indigenous Peoples in Ontario. The IOFP seeks to advance economic reconciliation and prosperity by enabling financial participation of Indigenous partners in Ontario-based infrastructure projects.

Ontario has entered into Shared Prosperity and Community Partnership Agreements with First Nations along the full corridor of the proposed roads to the Ring of Fire. These agreements provide supports for community infrastructure, wellness and workforce readiness, helping position First Nations to fully participate in, and benefit from, emerging economic opportunities tied to road and infrastructure development.

Significant new investments in legacy infrastructure will enhance connectivity for communities that currently lack year-round road access. Improved access is expected to lower the cost of living, strengthen service delivery and expand social and economic opportunities.

Measuring success

Ontario’s 2020–2025 Poverty Reduction Strategy includes indicators to measure the province’s progress, assess impact and identify areas for improvement. The indicators draw data from multiple sources. As a result, the availability of data varies across the indicators, and the indicators have different baseline years and timeframes for when updates can be released. All updates are based on the most recent data available.

The following section provides the latest available information for each indicator and a brief description of what has changed since the previous year’s report (see Appendix for full indicator definitions and sources).

The province continues to advance toward the strategy’s objectives, with several indicators showing improvement.

Target

The strategy’s core goal is to help more social assistance recipients achieve employment and financial independence. The strategy set a goal of increasing annual exits from social assistance to employment to 60,000, with the aim of helping more recipients achieve greater financial stability. Progress toward this target has been significantly influenced by external factors, including pandemic-related disruptions, rising inflation, slower economic growth and higher unemployment rates, all of which have made labour‑market attachment more challenging. While this target was not reached, Ontario has made substantial progress, more than doubling exits to employment in the last four years to 43,425.

Status: Improved from the previous year and exceeds the baseline.

In 2025, exits to employment increased by 24%, continuing an upward trend since 2021.

Employment, skills and training indicators

The following indicators measure the employment rate, how many jobs were created, the extent to which people receiving social assistance are becoming employed (while remaining eligible for social assistance) and training results.

Ontario’s labour market continued to adjust in 2025 following the post-pandemic recovery period. After reaching an employment rate of 74.8% in 2023, overall employment moderated in line with slowed economic growth and reduced job creation. This trend reflects a labour market transitioning from rapid post-pandemic expansion to more typical, moderated trends.

Status: Decreased across all priority groups between 2024 and 2025, except for youth employment, which increased slightly. Decreased from baseline across all priority groups.

This reflects a return to pre-pandemic norms, when employment rates for the general population aged 15 to 64 averaged around 72.4% from 2015–2019, before falling to 68.8% in 2020 and then rebounding to a peak of 74.8% in 2023. The recent decline suggests rates could be stabilizing to near typical pre-pandemic levels.

Status: Decreased compared to 2024. Decreased from baseline except for number of net part-time jobs created.

The lower total net employment gains coincided with changes in labour market conditions following the post-pandemic recovery.

Status: Decreased from the previous year and the baseline.

In 2024–25, there was an approximate 7% decrease from the previous year.

Status: Stable from the previous year for all clients, women and men, increase for Indigenous clients and decrease for racialized clients. Overall, rates remained below or stable from the baseline for all clients and all groups.

Status: Stable for ODSP and Ontario Works recipients compared to the previous year. Both programs remained below the baseline.

Education indicators

The following indicators measure progress on high school graduation rates and credit accumulation that will keep students on track to graduate with their peers, as well as post-secondary graduation rates (universities and colleges).

The 2023–24 results reflect continued strength in graduation outcomes at the secondary and postsecondary levels.

Status: Unchanged from the previous year and improved compared to the baseline.

In 2023–24, Ontario’s high school graduation rate was 2.4 percentage points higher than the baseline.

Status: Unchanged from the previous year^{footnote 4[4]} and decreased from the baseline.

In the 2023–24 school year, the percentage of Grade 9 students on track to graduate was 2 percentage points below the baseline. The percentages of Grade 10 and Grade 11 students on track to graduate were one percentage point below the baseline.

Status: Stable from the previous year and improved from the baseline.

In 2023–24, Ontario’s university graduation rate was 1.6 percentage points higher than the baseline.

Status: Stable from the previous year and improved from the baseline.

In 2023–24, Ontario’s college graduation rate was 4.8 percentage points higher than the baseline.

Financial independence indicators

The following indicators measure the province’s progress in supporting low-income individuals and families to move towards financial independence. Ontario’s social assistance and housing outcomes in the most recent reporting period reflect a mix of stability and modest improvements.

All cases

Cases where the primary applicant is a youth (aged 15–24)

Cases where the primary applicant is female

Status: Stable compared to the previous year as well as the baseline.

Status: Decreased in 2024 compared to the previous year. For all cases and for cases where the primary applicant is a youth, the indicator decreased in 2024 relative to baseline, but not for cases where the primary applicant is female.

Status: Relatively stable from the previous year and improved compared to the baseline.

The drop in the share of the population on social assistance in 2021 and 2022 coincided with the availability of pandemic benefits, which provided temporary financial relief and reduced the need for social assistance. Following the expiry of these benefits, the number of individuals relying on social assistance has increased. The slight increase in the percentage of the population on social assistance between 2024 and 2025 corresponded with a rise in the unemployment rate.

Status: Decreased year-over-year and from baseline

The proportion of Ontario low-income households assisted by community housing programs has decreased by 0.7 percentage points from 2018–19.

Status: In 2021, improved compared to the baseline.

There is no new data on this indicator. New data will be collected through the 2026 census.

Status: As of 2021, improved compared to the previous period and the baseline for all groups.

There is no new data on this indicator. New data will be collected through the 2026 census.

Poverty indicators

The two indicators in this section measure the province’s progress in reducing the number of people with low incomes, with a focus on the priority populations of youth (aged 15–24), Indigenous persons off-reserve and visible minorities.

Ontario’s progress in reducing poverty has seen a return to pre-pandemic levels. Recent trends show poverty and deep poverty increasing by 4.3 and 2.7 percentage points, respectively, since 2020.

Status: Increased in 2023 for the general population but decreased from the baseline.

After years of steady improvement leading up to the pandemic, followed by improvement driven by federal pandemic benefits, recent trends show poverty rate increasing by 4.3 percentage points since 2020.

Status: Increase in 2023 and from baseline. Increases in deep poverty rates were observed across population groups, including youth, women, visible minority groups and Indigenous persons living off-reserve.

After years of steady improvement leading up to the pandemic, followed by improvement driven by federal pandemic benefits, recent trends show deep poverty increasing by 2.7 percentage points since 2020.

Moving forward

As Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, Building a Strong Foundation for Success: Reducing Poverty in Ontario (2020–2025), comes to an end, the province has advanced important measures to reduce poverty and strengthen economic resilience. Through coordinated action across government, Ontario made progress on the strategy’s four pillars by creating jobs, connecting people to essential supports, making life more affordable and accelerating action.

These efforts have delivered tangible impacts, including investments in skills training, housing, health care and social assistance programs, while supporting communities as they recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and positioning the province for long-term stability.

Building on this progress, Ontario is preparing to launch a new Poverty Reduction Strategy that will support individuals, families and communities, continuing to lay a foundation for a stronger, more inclusive province where no one is left behind. The new strategy will explore collaborative solutions to strengthen partnerships to drive meaningful progress in reducing poverty and protect Ontario.

Appendix: target and indicator definitions

Strategy target: Get more social assistance recipients into meaningful employment and financial stability. The government will provide the right supports and services with the goal of increasing the number of social assistance recipients moving to employment each year.

Indicators