Ministry overview

Ministry’s vision

The Ministry of Government and Consumer Services is a large direct service-delivery organization, providing services to the people and businesses of Ontario and other ministries 24/7/365. We are leading change across government and actively partnering to improve outcomes and protect critical services.

We are the public face of government, connecting Ontarians with services at important moments in their lives: birth, marriage, adoption, organ donation, and when they need driver’s licences, vehicle registration, health cards, and accessible parking permits. This results in over 50 million interactions per year. We also enforce consumer protection statutes and protect consumers as they make important decisions, like signing a contract for home renovations, making new home and condo purchases, travelling, and buying a car.

We help Ontario to be Open for Business by enabling business name registrations, business incorporations, corporation dissolutions and supporting not-for-profit corporations. We are supporting the government commitment to reduce red tape by 25 per cent and have generated $22.6 M in savings for businesses. We are also supporting the vendor community to make it easier to do business with the government.

As the backbone of government, we deliver business critical functions such as procurement, financial processing, transfer payment administration, human resources and pay and benefits, that keep government operating. We also deliver the essential information technology infrastructure to support government operations, while providing 24/7/365 cyber security monitoring services.

In addition, the ministry manages one of the largest real estate portfolios in Canada, including the policies and programs to ensure its properties help deliver public services in a cost-effective manner. This includes managing the process and disposition of properties that are surplus to government needs in a way that creates revenue for priority programs, reduces costs and puts properties back into productive use.

MGCS provides value to the people and businesses of Ontario and the rest of the province’s public service. It has key roles as a designer and provider of enterprise services, transformation enabler, and a modern regulator.

MGCS has a broad mandate to support the government with efficient and effective enterprise business services and solutions, to strengthen consumer protection and public safety, and to provide vital programs, services, and products to individuals and businesses.

COVID‑19 response

The ministry is an integral part of the government’s response to the COVID‑19 outbreak, dedicating resources to ensure OPS workers can deliver on their critical roles by working remotely while practising physical distancing. The health and safety of our employees is our top priority. Where workers must be on-site, we are helping to ensure they have clean, hygienic and safe workplaces.

In addition, the ministry is supporting the rest of government with services such as payroll, procurement and supply chain management that are vital to the fight against the novel coronavirus.

The ministry also continues to help people at ServiceOntario centres, protect Ontarians from unfair business practices, such as price gouging, and support our many administrative authorities dealing with a fast-changing landscape for consumers and businesses.

Many of the steps the ministry has taken to help fight the novel coronavirus, such as the Ontario Together portal, were massive team efforts. They involved multiple ministry divisions which are described in each program’s description.

Ministry programs

Ontario Shared Services

Ontario Shared Services (OSS) is a mature shared services organization that provides centralized internal shared services for all ministries, employees, select agencies and Broader Public Sector (BPS) entities. It drives the government’s internal core businesses with over 50 services related to procurement, financial processing, transfer payment administration, human resources, pay and benefits, and enterprise business services through multiple channels, including digital. It serves around 65,000 OPS employees and does business with approximately 44,000 vendors each year.

In partnership with I&IT, OSS manages various enterprise systems including: Integrated Financial Information System (IFIS), the Workforce Information Network (WIN), Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON), the Ontario Tenders Portal and the Ontario Together Portal.

Responding to COVID‑19

MGCS has led the coordination of the province’s COVID‑19-related procurements and supply chain management for non-health sector entities, including ministries, municipalities, the BPS and government agencies. OSS has internally redeployed staff to enable this work and continues to work closely with partner ministries and stakeholders. Specific steps taken to support the public sector supply chain include:

  • launching the Ontario Together portal to connect government with businesses and individuals who have emergency supplies, ideas and innovations to support the province’s COVID‑19 response
  • developing the virtual inventory to support decision-making processes for the procurement and distribution of critical supplies
  • procuring emergency supplies, including personal protective equipment
  • managing the warehousing, allocation and distribution of personal protective equipment procured by the province

OSS also plays an essential role in supporting the successful delivery of initiatives launched by partner ministries including:

  • implementing changes to the Integrated Financial Information System to suspend six months of interest charges on the Ontario Student Assistance Program
  • enabling the delivery of the Ministry of Education’s Support for Families program as announced in Ontario’s Action Plan in response to COVID‑19
  • supporting new transfer payment programs through municipalities, social service providers, industry associations and First Nations communities

In addition, OSS ensured the continued delivery of key businesses and services, including:

  • helping ministries meet their obligations under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997
  • collaborating with Treasury Board Secretariat to provide timely and seamless financial processing to ministries, in part by prioritizing critical purchases and payments
  • maintaining end-to-end mail delivery, courier, cartage and other services to ministries, agencies, boards and commissions to ensure the continuation of essential government programs and services
  • maintaining the delivery of public facing services, such as official document services, without service disruption while instituting appropriate physical distancing measures
  • contributing to the development of rapid deployment options, assessment criteria and the screening and selection processes to conduct applicant screening and preliminary interviews on behalf of long-term care homes

Enterprise Information Technology Services Program

The Enterprise Information Technology Services Program provides leadership in the use of information and information technology (I&IT) to modernize Ontario public services and meet the changing needs of Ontarians, the OPS, and optionally, to the BPS. This includes developing a plan that focuses on evolving I&IT capabilities to transform public service delivery, providing citizen-centred digital solutions and better value for taxpayers’ dollars. The program continues to ensure the ongoing security of systems and data, the implementation of common infrastructure, governance and accountability, as well as the delivery of OPS-wide common services such as hosting services, service management and network capabilities.

Major functions include:

  • procuring, managing and delivering common IT infrastructure
  • delivering cyber risk management advice, education and awareness services and innovative cyber solutions to the OPS to enable secure public service delivery, including proactive monitoring of the OPS network 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year for cyber threats
  • developing and implementing enterprise-wide I&IT strategies, programs and projects to manage I&IT initiatives in of support government priorities

Responding to COVID‑19

Enterprise IT services has helped the OPS shift to working remotely and helped ministries rapidly deploy new solutions for government programs, including:

  • developing the Ontario Together Portal to support Ontario’s supply chain and mobilizing Ontario’s manufacturing and innovation sectors
  • supporting Public Health Ontario’s improvements to its IT infrastructure, allowing it to publish COVID‑19 statistics on their website
  • making upgrades to help track COVID‑19 lab test data
  • helping to launch the COVID‑19 Assessment Tool
  • launching the Financial Emergency Assistance Application to serve as the new public submission tool for financial assistance
  • launching a tool to help first responders track locations impacted by COVID‑19
  • setting up four public-facing contact centres in less than 48 hours including:
    • Support for Parents/Families
    • Ontario Together
    • Stop the Spread Business Information Line
    • Ministry of Health Workforce Portal
  • enabling remote work and enhancing user experience for the Ontario Public Service
    • increased capacity for 30,000 OPS workers to work remotely, up from 12,000
    • expediting orders for critical technology to enable remote work including 4,000 mobile phones and 4,000 laptop computers
    • enabled security on Ontario Public Service laptops while not connected to the Ontario Public Service network (approx. 40,000 laptops)
  • ensured a proactive response to COVID‑19 cyber risk by enhancing coordination between the Ontario Public Service and Broader Public Sector through discussions on cyber risk at the Cyber Security Community of Practice and sharing cyber awareness material with our BPS partners
  • provided risk advisory services and policy advice for urgent requests to support critical programs and services
  • accelerated the introduction of cloud services and platforms to advance online digital delivery including a chatbot that utilizes artificial intelligence to answer questions
  • developed a technology roadmap and investment plan to prioritize applications and tools to support remote work and accelerate the move of government services online

Government Infrastructure

Government Infrastructure Projects is responsible for managing a large portion of Ontario’s public real estate portfolio, which is one of the largest public-sector real estate portfolios in Canada. It is responsible for developing policy, legislation and programs related to public and forfeited real estate and contributing to the delivery of world-class public services. This includes implementing real estate strategies, portfolio planning, acquisition and disposal of properties, space management, capital planning, and leasehold improvements. The program oversees the realty portion of Infrastructure Ontario.

The ministry continues to set the government’s policy direction for one of the largest public sector real estate portfolios in Canada:

  • It acquires, manages and disposes of realty assets, and oversees its realty delivery agent, Infrastructure Ontario, in support of the government’s policy and program delivery.
  • The General Real Estate Portfolio contains 4,664 buildings and approximately 121,000 acres of land directly managed by Infrastructure Ontario. In order to manage its realty assets in the most efficient and effective manner, the ministry is focusing on a long-term strategy that will emphasize the management, redeployment and sale or transfer of properties.
  • Under the Forfeited Corporate Property Act, 2015, the Forfeited Corporate Property program works to return properties that the Crown receives from dissolved corporations back to productive use. Returning properties to productive use protects the Province from any risks or liabilities associated with forfeited corporate properties.
  • The Transmission Corridor Program oversees approximately 42,000 acres of hydro corridor land. By facilitating public access and use of these corridor lands, the ministry generates revenue through secondary land use.
  • Together with Infrastructure Ontario, MGCS provides expert real estate advice and services to the OPS, including the broader public sector.

The ministry is also responsible for optimizing the province’s office real estate and driving workplace transformation to improve cost efficiencies and more effectively use current properties and workspaces for government and agencies.

Major realty projects are delivered through this program, including the Macdonald Block Reconstruction Project and Whitney Block Rehabilitation Project.

Once completed, the reconstructed Macdonald Block Complex will make better use of space to accommodate more workers, eliminating the need for 586,000 square feet of rented office space. By adopting approaches such as more flexible and collaborative workspaces and by using technology to enable remote work arrangements for staff, we will make more effective and efficient use of the space. This reduced footprint of lease holdings will help drive efficiencies and reduce costs to the Ontario taxpayer.

Responding to COVID‑19

Government Infrastructure projects has contributed to the government’s response to the COVID‑19 outbreak through enhanced cleaning of properties in the government’s general real estate portfolio to ensure the safety of the buildings.

The ministry is also offering an advisory service that helps government and organizations that need space to meet their COVID‑19 needs by connecting them with those who have extra space to offer.

In support of the government’s commitment to stop the spread of COVID‑19, construction on active government infrastructure projects has also been temporarily paused. Where possible, work on projects that can be done remotely, such as planning and design has continued.

Information, Privacy and Archives

Information, Privacy and Archives (IPA) acts as the steward of the province’s records. It provides enterprise strategic and policy advice and guidance to ministries, agencies and the broader public sector on records and information management, access to information, and privacy protection. The program collects, preserves, promotes, and facilitates access to the province's documentary memory for current and future generations.

The Information, Privacy and Archives division promotes good recordkeeping practices across the public sector. It provides strategic leadership for access to information, privacy protection and a wide range of information management-related activities. This includes planning, policy and standards development. IPA fosters government accountability, transparency and efficiency by promoting good recordkeeping, freedom of information and privacy protection by public-sector bodies.

Within IPA, the Archives of Ontario collects, manages and preserves the records of Ontario and provides the public access to original records of enduring value. It is a vital resource for studying and interpreting the history of the province. It preserves Ontario's documentary heritage for the benefit of current and future generations.

Responding to COVID‑19

IPA has taken the following measures to adapt its services to address the COVID‑19 outbreak:

  • suspended in-person services at the Archives of Ontario including: reception, reference and retrieval services, onsite facility tours, educational workshops, reproduction services, visits to the exhibit areas, and use of the classroom and facility
  • through remote access and virtual channels, IPA continues to:
    • deliver enterprise strategic and policy advice and guidance to ministries, agencies and the broader public sector on records and information management, access to information, and privacy protection
    • provide targeted recordkeeping, access and privacy advice to support staff working from home
    • deliver programs and services, including responding to reference inquiries, preservation, acquisition, appraisal, outreach and educational programming. Includes time-critical requests related to reference services, retrieval of archival records, reproductions and Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
    • provide time-critical mandatory support to the Ministry of the Attorney General, Court Services Division to meet mandatory legal requirements

ServiceOntario

ServiceOntario is the gateway to government services for individuals and businesses. It offers health card; driver and vehicle services; outdoor licensing (hunting, fishing); vital events; land and personal property registry; and, business registration services. It helps Ontarians through multiple channels including in-person, phone, mail and online.

ServiceOntario provides Ontarians with fast, friendly and easy access to a range of government services and information. This includes giving Ontarians choice in how they interact with government — at one of the 280 in-person locations across the province or other service channels, including online with access to more than 40 services.

Responding to COVID‑19

ServiceOntario has taken several steps to make it easier for individuals and businesses to get the services they need, while promoting physical distancing and minimizing the need for in-person visits to ServiceOntario offices. These include:

  • extended the validity of Accessible Parking Permits
  • worked with partner ministries to extend the validity of driver and vehicle products, health cards and security guard licences
  • amended the Vital Statistics Act, 1990, to enable the electronic transmission of death registration documents
  • introduced changes to MGCS Business Law statutes to permit copies of documents, electronic signatures and the electronic filing of business documents. These changes will significantly reduce the number of physical touchpoints on paper documents.
  • collaborated with the Office of the Chief Coroner, Ministry of the Solicitor General, to develop an electronic Medical Certificate of Death and an electronic Warrant to Bury, which allows coroners to complete and submit these forms to funeral homes remotely
  • reduced operating hours at public-facing offices and encouraged Ontarians to use online services
  • installed plexiglass at public retail and land registry offices and working with the service provider network for the installation of plexiglass at private retail offices
  • supported the OntarioTogether and Support for Families contact centres and Telehealth, with temporarily addressing the backlog of 5,000 voicemails and call backs
  • conducting screening of customers and cleaning the offices regularly throughout the day to reduce the spread of the virus

Consumer Services

Consumer Services is dedicated to policies, programs and services that respond to the needs of the people and businesses of Ontario. As a modern regulator, Consumer Services is committed to promoting consumer protection by enforcing legislation and addressing a wide range of consumer and public safety issues in a way that assists consumers and supports business compliance. Consumer Services also supports a positive environment for business in Ontario through business law renewal.

Through the Consumer Services Program, MGCS plays an important role informing consumers about their rights and protections under the ministry’s various consumer protection statutes and regulations, including the Consumer Protection Act, 2002. The ministry has an important education and public-information role and is a recognized and trusted resource for consumers and businesses providing them with essential tools and knowledge. It plays a leadership role in supporting a fair, safe and informed marketplace.

Direct services to the public include educating consumers and businesses about their rights and responsibilities, mediating consumer complaints and protecting the consumer interest through proportionate and risk-based compliance and enforcement action against non-compliant businesses.

The ministry also regulates and licenses businesses in several key sectors, including payday loans, collection agencies and consumer reporting agencies. It also oversees arm’s-length administrative authorities in the areas of consumer protection and public safety.

Responding to COVID‑19

The Consumer Services program has continued providing services to the public through its contact centre and supporting the development of emergency orders and/or legislative changes.

Since the beginning of the COVID‑19 outbreak to May 25, 2020, the Consumer Protection Ontario 800-line call centre received just over 6,500 inquiries, most related to COVID‑19 and price gouging.

As of May 25, 2020, Consumer Protection Ontario has received just over 21,800 complaints regarding price gouging through an online form that went live on March 28, 2020. The ministry has also provided advice and assistance to consumers regarding consumer transactions that could not be completed because of the pandemic.

To help corporations, the ministry developed emergency orders and/or legislative amendments to key corporate statutes including the Business Corporations Act, 1990; Corporations Act, 1990; Condominium Act, 1998; and Co-Operative Corporations Act, 1990.

The ministry also amended the regulation under the Travel Industry Act, 2002 to reduce burden on travel agents and wholesalers (registrants) and help travellers impacted by the COVID‑19 outbreak.

Government Services Integration Cluster

The Government Services Integration Cluster provides strategic advice and cost-effective technology solutions for the Ministries of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade; Seniors and Accessibility; Government and Consumer Services; Infrastructure; and Francophone Affairs. It delivers the information technology necessary for its partner ministries and agencies to operate, modernize, and transform the delivery of services to the public, businesses and employees. The cluster also has accountability for the Enterprise Contact Centre Solution, as a mandatory central common service, enabling 44 programs across government.

COVID‑19 Response

In response to COVID‑19, GSIC enabled many initiatives including:

  • supported Ontario Together by building a cloud-based platform in partnership with Ontario Shared Services, Ontario Digital Service, Infrastructure Technology Services, Ministry of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade, Ministry of Health, Ontario Health and other partners
  • enabled contact centres within MGCS to quickly, and with agility, support other COVID‑19 response initiatives such as Stop the Spread, Ontario Together, Support for Parents/Families, Telehealth and Consumer Protection Ontario-Price Gouging
  • delivered critical changes for other OPS contact centres including higher call-volumes capacity and operational and technical changes to phone menus and scripts
  • leveraged the existing eForms platform to support the digital submission of critical forms, including medical certificates of death and warrants to bury the body of a deceased person or still-born baby
  • provided operational support and enhancements to the payroll and financial enterprise systems to deliver changes required to support the government’s response to COVID‑19
  • supported our teams and partner ministries in efforts to facilitate remote working practices in collaboration with Enterprise Infrastructure Technology Services

Ontario Digital Service

The Ontario Digital Service (ODS) is committed to creating modern, digitally-enabled government that equips all Ontarians to thrive in the digital age. The ODS is improving the quality and offering of digital government services by transforming internal processes, setting new standards and equipping the OPS to use internet-era methods.

Using agile software development, user-centered design, and Lean methods, the ODS is promoting modern ways of working throughout the public service. By promoting access to information, data and opportunities to participate in decision-making, the ODS is helping to restore accountability and trust in government. Further, the ODS is helping government to respond to and create positive outcomes for Ontario in an era of technological change.

Responding to COVID‑19

In response to the COVID pandemic, the ODS rapidly deployed teams to build digital services including:

  • a simple-to-use self-assessment tool to help Ontarians determine if they may have COVID‑19
  • a procurement portal, Ontario Together, to help the Ontario government quickly procure high-need supplies and allow vendors to submit innovative ideas to help government response to the crisis
  • a new website, covid-19.ontario.ca, to provide clear information for people and businesses
  • providing tools, training, and resources to help the OPS in adopting remote working practices

2020-21 Strategic plan

MGCS is committed to helping make the government work smarter, make life more affordable for Ontarians, and build healthier and safer communities. Improving digital service delivery is at the heart of the ministry’s approach, to increase value for investments and enable simpler, faster, better services for the people and businesses of Ontario.

MGCS Primary Goals

MGCS has five primary goals to fulfill the ministry’s mandate and achieve government priorities. More details of specific accomplishments can be found in the Appendix: 2019-20 annual report.

People and Culture: Fostering talent, leveraging our skills and knowledge, and assigning accountability to show quick, iterative progress on delivering commitments.

  • Through the Chief Technology Officer, develop a next-generation I&IT strategy, technology roadmap and investment plan for government. The plan will support better decision-making, leverage existing and new technologies across the OPS, while building new IT skills within the government’s IT organization.
  • Provide leadership and support to the rest of the public service in information management, recordkeeping, freedom of information and privacy protection. Through the Archives of Ontario, the ministry is responsible for managing, preserving and providing access to the province’s cultural and documentary heritage.

Driving Efficiencies: Making services and back office functions more efficient and driving cost savings to support a balanced budget for Ontario.

  • Work with Infrastructure Ontario to improve the management of its real estate portfolio by generating revenue and reducing costs, better using office space, and reducing red tape.
  • Deliver critical services including payroll, procurement and supply chain administration, transfer payment administration, front-line HR service delivery and financial processing. The ministry will also continue to demonstrate leadership in improving government services, such as being the first ministry to use Robotic Process Automation/Machine Learning to improve service delivery to ministry clients.
  • In partnership with Treasury Board Secretariat and the Ministry of Health, continue to centralize supply chain across the public sector.

Service Delivery Excellence: Driving operational excellence and continuous improvement in service delivery, and transforming and streamlining delivery models across government with private sector partners

  • MGCS is planning improvements to the email reminder service for driver licences, vehicle plate stickers and health cards. This may include additional options such as SMS/text and voice.
  • ServiceOntario continues to deliver information and high-volume transactions while making it easier for individuals and businesses to access services. Improvements to services address key issues such as language changes, user experience design, improved usability, and legislation/regulation changes.

Digital Transformation: Transforming through a digital first approach to lower the cost of delivery and make services simpler, faster and better for people, businesses and OPS employees

  • Work continues with partners to advance the adoption of innovative technologies, agile technology approaches to drive transformation, automating processes and using new analytic tools and systems to better harness data for improved government financial planning, analysis and reporting.
  • The Ontario Digital Service works with the OPS to adopt new digital practices and technologies that will deliver simpler, faster, better services to Ontarians. The Simpler, Faster, Better Services Act, 2019, came into effect in August 2019 to improve how government works and the services it delivers to the people and businesses of Ontario.
  • As part of the OPS Cyber Security Strategy, the ministry began implementing access management modernization initiatives to continue to provide secure digital interactions with citizens and businesses. The ministry is currently piloting modern technology that will enable the government, Ontario public and businesses to interact more effectively and efficiently with a focus on information security.

Supporting Businesses: Simplifying Ontario’s regulatory framework and reducing the administrative burden on businesses to make it easier to engage with all of government

  • Introduced the Rebuilding Consumer Confidence Act in December 2019. If passed, that act will help level the environment for honest businesses and improve governance and accountability in Ontario’s administrative authorities. It will also enhance protections in the Consumer Protection Act, 2002, and Ticket Sales Act, 2017, and overhaul the new home warranty program.
    • Committed to transforming many key regulatory frameworks as part of the Rebuilding Consumer Confidence strategy, including under the Travel Industry Act, 2002; Condominium Act, 1998; Consumer Reporting Act, 1990; and others, and undertaking a comprehensive review of the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 — the first such review in over 15 years.
  • Overhauling Ontario’s new home warranty program by creating two separate authorities, one to oversee builder/vendors, and the other to administer new home warranties.
  • MGCS plays an important role in reducing burden on business to improve Ontario’s competitive advantage. The ministry continues to support the government’s commitment to improving the province’s business law framework to meet the changing needs of business.
  • The ministry has worked with jurisdictions across the country to recognize Canadian Registration Numbers to remove redundant and expensive reviews. Since January 2020, businesses that get approval from one jurisdiction that participates in the system will automatically be accepted by all others.

Key Performance Indicators

MGCS has several important key performance indicators that it uses to measure ministry priorities, such as customer satisfaction rates and service standards / guarantees. Customer satisfaction is important because it tells us whether our clients are experiencing a high level of service quality from the services we provide to them, while service standards/guarantees tell us whether we are meeting our commitment to clients to provide timely services.

Key Performance IndicatorTarget2018-19Q3, 2019-20
% Customer Satisfaction with MGCS service delivery90%90%93%
% MGCS Service Standards/Guarantees Met or Exceeded90%82%98%

MGCS is committed to continuous improvement by enhancing its Key Performance Indicators and program-level measures on an ongoing basis to assess performance and drive results.

Ontario Shared Services

Program/ServiceService Standard2017-182018-192019-20
Official Documents Services - Issue DocumentsClients will be satisfied with the service provided95.0%96.0%96.9%

Enterprise Information Technology Services Program

Program/ServiceService StandardTarget2017-182018-192019-20
ITS Customer Satisfaction% Clients satisfied with the service provided95.0%95.9%94.6%94.7%

Information, Privacy and Archives

Program/ServiceService StandardTarget2017-182018-192019-20
Archives - Information RequestsCorrespondence enquiries will be completed to standard within 15 business days.90%96%98%97%
Archives - Information RequestsRequests for Information will be processed and completed within 30 days or authorized extension.90%100%99%96%
Archives - Reproduction OrdersReproduction orders will be completed to standard within 15 business days.90%94%98%98%

ServiceOntario

Key ServiceOntario service standards measure the percentage of transactions delivered within established timeframes and the effectiveness of service delivery processes. ServiceOntario met or exceeded most of its service standards in 2019-20.

Fiscal 2019-20

CategoryNumber of Service StandardsStandards that Achieved 90% or more of Target
Customer Service2100.0%
Information2100.0%
Permits, Licences, Certificates & Registrations4488.6%
Approvals and Decisions3100%
Total5190.2%

ServiceOntario is now accountable for eight money-back service guarantees including online birth, marriage and death certificates; premium online birth, marriage and death certificates; electronic master business licences and online personalized licence plate orders.

Service Ontario’s money-back service guarantees were met on average, 99.92% of the time between April 2017 and December 2019. The goal for 2020-21 is to maintain a service standard achievement rate above 99% through strict process control and continuous improvement.

Bar graph - ServiceOntario Standard Achievement Rate for 8 Money-back Guaranteed Services

Ontario Digital Service

Indicator2019-20Target
% of assessments approved through the Digital First Assessment process61% as of March 2020100% by 2023-24
# of OPS staff trained in Lean1509 as of March 20206,000 staff by 2023-24
% of staff who apply lean practices at their workplace within three months of receiving OPS Lean training67% as of March 202050% by 2023-24

Detailed financial information

Table 1: Ministry planned expenditures 2020-21 ($M)footnote 1
Expenditure TypeAmount ($M)
COVID‑19 ApprovalsN/A
Operating1,429.6
Capital236.0
Total1,665.6

Ministry of Government and Consumer Services

Table 2: Combined operating and capital summary by vote

Vote/Program Operating ExpenseEstimates 2020-21
$
Change From 2019-20 Estimates
$
Change From 2019-20 Estimates
(%)
Estimates 2019-20footnote 2
$
Interim Actuals
2019-20footnote 2
$
Actuals
2018-19footnote 2
$
Ministry Administration34,253,000(352,500)(1.0%)34,605,50035,387,10035,239,105
Information, Privacy and Archives16,914,90027,2000.2%16,887,20016,124,70016,931,225
Ontario Shared Services169,952,7007,457,1004.6%162,495,600168,520,200208,796,003
Advertising Review Board1,063,600(22,300)(2.1%)1,085,900847,100862,230
ServiceOntario226,783,60016,395,0007.8%210,388,600257,523,100257,198,608
Consumer Services29,752,800(4,108,500)(12.1%)33,861,30033,833,80035,313,803
Government Services Integration Cluster65,151,700(856,600)(1.3%)66,008,30066,514,70047,762,199
Government Infrastructure Projects292,007,000202,600,500226.6%89,406,50099,816,40087,615,649
Enterprise Information Technology Services Program36,515,66014,648,80067.0%21,866,80018,378,60018,558,458
Total Operating Expense to be Voted872,394,900235,789,20037.0%636,605,700696,945,700708,277,280
Statutory Appropriations19,013,014N/AN/A19,013,01413,582,0149,103,914
Ministry Total Operating Expense891,407,914235,789,20036.0%655,618,714710,527,714717,381,194
Consolidation Adjustment - HospitalsN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A(3,841,217)
Consolidation Adjustment - General Real Estate Portfolio555,156,600(165,448,000)(23.0%)720,604,600720,604,600723,358,232
Consolidation Adjustment - Transmission Corridor Program(16,987,500)789,200(4.4%)(17,776,700)(17,776,700)(15,237,700)
Total Operating Expense including consolidation & other adjustments1,429,577,01471,130,4005.2%1,358,446,6141,413,355,6141,421,658,509
Operating AssetsEstimates 2020-21
$
Change From 2019-20 Estimates
$
Change From 2019-20 Estimates
(%)
Estimates 2019-20footnote 2
$
Interim Actuals
2019-20footnote 2
$
Actuals
2018-19footnote 2
$
Ministry Administration1,000N/AN/A1,0001,000N/A
Ontario Shared Services1,000N/AN/A1,0001,000N/A
Consumer Services1,000N/AN/A1,0001,000N/A
Government Services Integration Cluster1,150,000850,000283.3%300,0001,050,000N/A
Enterprise Information Technology Services Program25,000,0009,124,60057.5%15,875,40029,695,40014,503,922
Total Operating Assets to be Voted26,153,0009,974,60061.7%16,178,40030,748,40014,503,922
Capital ExpenseEstimates 2020-21
$
Change From 2019-20 Estimates
$
Change From 2019-20 Estimates
(%)
Estimates 2019-20footnote 2
$
Interim Actuals
2019-20footnote 2
$
Actuals
2018-19footnote 2
$
Ministry Administration1,000N/AN/A1,0001,000N/A
Information, Privacy and Archives3,155,100(90,600)(2.8%)3,245,7003,245,7003,332,379
Ontario Shared Services2,000N/AN/A2,0002,000N/A
ServiceOntario2,000,000N/AN/A2,000,0001,000,000667,362
Consumer Services2,000N/AN/A2,0002,000668,700
Government Services Integration Cluster2,000(1,000)(33.3.%)3,0003,000N/A
Government Infrastructure Projects82,543,600(4,999,000)(5.7%)87,542,60093,655,800160,088,215
Enterprise Information Technology Services Program9,741,800(281,200)(2.8%)10,023,00010,023,0009,339,938
Total Capital Expense to be Voted97,447,500(5,371,800)(5.2%)102,819,300107,932,500174,096,594
Statutory Appropriations11,910,800(1,395,500)(10.5%)13,306,30014,889,80011,473,328
Total Capital Expense109,358,300(6,767,300)(5.8%)116,125,600122,822,300185,569,922
Consolidation Adjustments - General Real Estate Portfolio126,626,30026,186,80026.1%100,439,500215,855,40055,308,644
Capital Expense Adjustment - Cap and Trade Wind Down Account ReclassificationN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A1,107,800
Total Capital Expense including consolidation and other adjustments235,984,60019,419,5009.0%216,565,100338,677,700241,986,366
Capital AssetsEstimates 2020-21
$
Change From 2019-20 Estimates
$
Change From 2019-20 Estimates
(%)
Estimates 2019-20footnote 2
$
Interim Actuals
2019-20footnote 2
$
Actuals
2018-19footnote 2
$
Ontario Shared Services23,476,00011,801,800101.1%11,674,2002,959,20016,876,743
ServiceOntario9,207,400(5,393,000)(36.9%)14,600,40011,680,40011,763,142
Consumer Services1,000N/AN/A1,0001,000N/A
Government Services Integration Cluster1,000(5,752,300)(100.0%)5,753,3005,458,5008,232,086
Government Infrastructure Projects304,827,500139,108,00083.9%165,719,500191,972,20026,554,679
Enterprise Information Technology Services Program62,537,40011,023,40021.4%51,514,00047,664,00033,997,027
Total Capital Assets to be Voted400,050,300150,787,90060.5%249,262,400259,735,30097,423,677
Ministry Total Operating and Capital Including Consolidation and Other Adjustments (not including Assets)1,665,561,61490,549,9005.7%1,575,011,7141,752,033,3141,663,644,875
Historic trend table
Historic Trend Analysis DataActuals
2017-18footnote 3
Actuals
2018-19footnote 3
Estimates
2019-20footnote 3
Estimates
2020-21footnote 3
Ministry total operating and capital including consolidation and other adjustments (not including assets)$1,649,613,818$1,663,644,875$1,575,011,714$1,665,561,614
Percent changeN/A1%(5%)6%

For additional financial information, see:

Agencies, boards and commissions (ABCs)

The Advertising Review Board (ARB) was established in 1985 with its mandate set out in the Procurement Directive on Advertising, Public and Media Relations, and Creative Communications Services. It is a designated mandatory central common service for the OPS ensuring the fair and transparent procurement of advertising, public/media relations, communications consulting, and creative communications services for government clients. The ARB provides ministries and government agencies with assistance and advice on the acquisition of advertising and communications services.

Responding to COVID‑19

In support of the government’s response to the COVID‑19 pandemic, the ARB has worked with ministries and agencies, providing them with procurement advice and contract support to ensure that government communications are developed and executed in a timely manner.

Financial summary

Advertising Review Board Financial Summary
Item2020-21
Estimates
2019-20
Interim Actuals
2018-19
Actuals
Expenditure$1,063,600$978,361$862,230

Administrative authorities

The ministry’s administrative authorities are governed by several pieces of legislation. The Safety and Consumer Statutes Administration Act, 1996, (SCSAA) provides a framework for the delegation of the administration of legislation with respect to electrical safety; regulation of motor vehicle dealers and salespersons; travel sales by travel agents and wholesalers; exhibitors and retailers; regulation of certain bereavement services (funeral, cemetery, crematorium, and transfer services); as well as the regulation of real estate salespersons, brokers and brokerages.

There are also individual statutes that apply an administrative authority’s oversight framework to technical standards, new home warranties, condominium management, the condominium sector, and appellations of Ontario-made wine.

Individual statutes and the SCSAA establish the accountability and governance framework that applies between the ministry and the not-for-profit corporations that administer legislation in specific consumer protection or public safety areas.

The ministry monitors administrative authorities’ service delivery and is responsible for the legislation and regulations. The administrative authorities typically deliver services such as licensing, inspections, complaint handling and enforcement.

The Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO) administers most provisions under the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, 2002 (FBCSA). The BAO is responsible for licensing and regulating (for example, conducting inspections and investigations) related to operators of cemeteries, crematoriums, and transfer services; salespersons for those operators; funeral directors; funeral establishment operators; and funeral preplanners. The BAO is also responsible for the management of a Funeral Services Compensation Fund that compensates persons who suffer a financial loss due to a failure on the part of certain licensees under the FBCSA to comply with that act, its regulations, or the terms of an agreement made under that act.

The Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) is responsible for administering delegated provisions under the Condominium Act, 1998. The CAO provides easy-to-use information to help owners and residents understand their rights and responsibilities, mandatory training for condo directors, resources to help condo owners and residents resolve common issues associated with condo living and provides a public database of key information about every condominium in Ontario. In addition, the CAO oversees and operates the Condominium Authority Tribunal, a unique online dispute resolution system to help resolve prescribed disputes under the Condominium Act, 1998.

The Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario (CMRAO) administers the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015. This includes administering licensing for all condo managers and condo management providers, maintaining a list of all licensees in the province, dealing with complaints, administering the discipline committee and appeals committee and enforcement.

The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) is responsible for administering laws related to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, the licensing of electrical contractors and master electricians, electricity distribution system safety, and electrical product safety.

The Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC) administers the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act, 2002, and the Motor Vehicle Dealers Compensation Fund which is a fund for consumers who have lost money involving a registered motor vehicle dealer. OMVIC registers motor vehicle dealers and salespersons and conducts inspections and investigations to ensure compliance with the act.

The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) administers the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 which regulates the conduct of real estate and business brokerages, brokers and salespersons. RECO registers salespersons, brokers and brokerages, enforces standards to obtain/maintain registration, requires brokers and salespersons to meet educational standards, conducts inspections of brokerage offices to ensure compliance with the Act, looks into complaints, and carries out enforcement action with respect to violations of the Act.

The Tarion Warranty Corporation administers the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act, 1990, which provides warranty coverage and other protections to new home buyers and owners. Tarion registers new home builders and vendors, enrols new homes for warranty coverage, investigates illegal building practices, resolves warranty disputes between builders/vendors and homeowners, maintains a Guarantee Fund that provides for the payment of compensation under the plan, informs and educates new home builders, and through research programs, promotes progressive improvement in the quality of housing in Ontario.

The ministry is also working with the Home Construction Regulatory Authority as it prepares for delegation under the New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017, to become the administrative authority responsible for licensing new home builders and vendors.

The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) administers the Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000. This includes enforcement of public safety standards in industry sectors such as amusement devices, boilers and pressure vessels, elevating devices, natural gas, petroleum and propane fuels and equipment and operating engineers.

The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) administers the Travel Industry Act, 2002. It registers travel agents and travel wholesalers, monitors their financial performance to identify financial risk, inspects their operations to ensure compliance with the Act, and manages Ontario’s Travel Industry Compensation Fund. Customers with eligible claims for travel services paid, to or through a registered travel agent, but not provided, may be reimbursed from the Fund up to certain amounts.

The Vintners Quality Alliance Ontario (VQAO) is responsible for administering an appellation of origin system governing the production and quality standards of Ontario wines under the VQA label.

Ontario One Call (also known as One Call) is a statutory corporation that administers the Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, 2012, which requires owners of underground infrastructure to be members of Ontario One Call and to provide the location of the infrastructure to excavators when requested. Ontario One Call operates a locate request routing service and enforces compliance by its members, which include gas, electrical and telecommunications utilities, and municipalities.

Ministry organization chart

  • Minister of Government and Consumer Services – Hon. Lisa M. Thompson
    • Deputy Minister of Government and Consumer Services – Karen Hughes
      • Legal Director – Fateh Salim
      • Director: Communications – Jennifer Proulx (A)
      • Director: Operations – Justin Peffer
      • ADM Ontario Shared Services Division – Heidi Francis
        • ADM HR Service Delivery Division – Kristen Delorme
        • ADM Pay and Benefits Services Division – Bev Hawton (A)
        • ADM Enterprise Business Services Division – Jim Cassimatis (A)
        • ADM Supply Chain Ontario – Doug Kent
        • ADM/CIO Enterprise Financial Services – Noah Morris
      • Corporate CIO and Information Technology – Dafna Carr
        • Enterprise CIO Infrastructure Technology Services – Mohammad Qureshi (A)
        • Chief Information Security Officer Cyber Security – Mohammad Qureshi
        • Chief Technology Officer Technology – Robin Thompson (A)
      • ADM Realty – Bruce Singbush
      • ADM Office Optimization – David Breezer
      • CPO and Archivist of Ontario Information, Privacy and Archives – John Roberts
      • CIO, Government Service Integration Cluster (GSIC) – Renee Laforet
      • CAO and ADM Corporate Services – Shawn Lawson
      • ADM Consumer Services Operations – Barbara Duckitt (A)
      • ADM Policy Planning and Oversight – Michèle Sanborn
      • ADM: ServiceOntario - Agatha Garcia-Wright (A)
        • ADM Operational Support – Lillian Duda (A)
        • ADM Customer Care – Cameron Sinclair
        • ADM Central Services – Alexandra Schmidt (A)
    • Chief Digital and Data Officer, Deputy Minister - Hillary Hartley
      • ADM Digital - Michael Maddock
      • ADM Lean and Continuous Improvement – Rachel Kampus
      • ADM Platforms – Robert Devries (A)

Acts administered by the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services

  • Apportionment Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. A.23
  • Archives and Recordkeeping Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 34, Sched. A
  • Arthur Wishart Act (Franchise Disclosure), 2000, S.O. 2000, c. 3
  • Assignments and Preferences Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. A.33
  • Bailiffs Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. B.2
  • Boundaries Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. B.10
  • Business Corporations Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. B.16
  • Business Names Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. B.17
  • Business Regulation Reform Act, 1994, S.O. 1994, c. 32
  • Change of Name Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.7
  • Collection and Debt Settlement Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.14
  • Condominium Act, 1998, S.O. 1998, c. 19
  • Condominium Management Services Act, 2015, S.O. 2015, c. 28, Sched. 2
  • Consumer Protection Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 30, Sched. A
  • Consumer Reporting Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.33
  • Co-operative Corporations Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.35
  • Corporations Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.38
  • Corporations Information Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.39
  • Delegated Administrative Authorities Act, 2012, S.O. 2012, c. 8, Sched. 11 (not yet in force)
  • Discriminatory Business Practices Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. D.12
  • Electricity Act, 1998, S.O. 1998, c. 15, Sched. A, in respect of Parts VIII and IX.1
  • Electronic Land Registration Services Act, 2010, S.O. 2010, c. 1, Sched. 6
  • Electronic Registration Act (Ministry of Consumer and Business Services Statutes), 1991, S.O. 1991, c. 44
  • Extra-Provincial Corporations Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.27
  • Factors Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.1
  • Film Classification Act, 2005, S.O. 2005, c. 17
  • Financial Administration Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.12, in respect of section 1.0.19 and clause 38 (1) (a.3)
  • Forfeited Corporate Property Act, 2015, S.O. 2015, c. 38, Sched. 7
  • Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.31
  • Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 33
  • Government Services and Service Providers Act (ServiceOntario), 2012, S.O. 2012, c. 8, Sched. 21 (not yet in force)
  • Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, in respect of Part III
  • Home Inspection Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c. 5, Sched. 1 (not yet in force)
  • Horse Riding Safety Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 4
  • Land Registration Reform Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. L.4
  • Land Titles Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. L.5
  • Limited Partnerships Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. L.16
  • Marriage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.3
  • Ministry of Consumer and Business Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.21
  • Ministry of Government Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.25, except in respect of services provided by the Treasury Board Secretariat
  • Ministry of Infrastructure Act, 2011, S.O. 2011, c. 9, Sched. 27, in respect of Government property, including acquisition, and in respect of clause 7(1)(e), clause 7(1)(g), and subsection 7(5), the administration of the Act is shared between the Minister of Government and Consumer Services and the Minister of Infrastructure
  • Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.M.41
  • Motor Vehicle Dealers Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 30, Sched. B
  • Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56
  • New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c. 33, Sched. 1 (not in force)
  • Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010, S.O. 2010, c. 15 (not yet in force)
  • Official Notices Publication Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.3
  • Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation Act, 2011, S.O. 2011, in respect of the Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation's powers and responsibilities regarding Government property, except subsection 4(1) 2.ii
  • Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.31
  • Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, 2012, S.O. 2012, c. 4
  • Partnerships Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.5
  • Payday Loans Act, 2008, S.O. 2008, c. 9
  • Personal Property Security Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.10
  • Protection for Owners and Purchasers of New Homes Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c. 33, Sched. 2 (not in force)
  • Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 30, Sched. C
  • Registry Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. R.20
  • Repair and Storage Liens Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. R.25
  • Retail Business Holidays Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. R.30
  • Safety and Consumer Statutes Administration Act, 1996, S.O. 1996, c. 19
  • Securities Transfer Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 8
  • Simpler, Faster, Better Services Act, 2019, S.O. 2019, c. 7, Sched. 56
  • Skydome Act (Bus Parking), 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 8, Sched. K
  • Supply Chain Management Act (Government, Broader Public Sector and Health Sector Entities), 2019, S.O. 2019, c. 15, Sched. 37
  • Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000, S.O. 2000, c. 16
  • Ticket Sales Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c. 33, Sched. 3
  • Travel Industry Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 30, Sched. D
  • Vintners Quality Alliance Act, 1999, S.O. 1999, c. 3
  • Vital Statistics Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. V.4
  • Wine Content and Labelling Act, 2000, S.O. 2000, c. 26, Sched. P
  • Wireless Services Agreements Act, 2013, S.O. 2013, c. 8 (this Act will be repealed 6 months from the date Bill 66 received Royal Assent on April 3, 2019)

2019-20 Annual report

Highlights of 2019-20 results

MGCS is transforming services in a way that puts the people at the centre of everything we do. MGCS is committed to helping the government fulfill its promise to find efficiencies and reduce burden for consumers.

Some of the ministry’s achievements include:

People and culture

  • Continued to lead a multi-year effort to modernize job evaluation systems and reflect current best practices of large public and private sector organizations. With support from the Treasury Board Secretariat, MGCS focussed on developing a new gender-neutral comparison for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Unified Bargaining Unit and a new job evaluation plan for Professional Engineers Government of Ontario (PEGO)-represented engineers and land surveyors.
  • Developed a multi-year Mental Health Strategic Plan that builds on achievements and prioritizes activities to advance the goals of the OPS Mental Health Framework. These goals position the OPS as a model employer known for its mental health management practices.
  • Enabled the hiring of more than 4,500 summer students for ministries and agencies in locations across the province for the summer of 2019.
  • Implemented an initiative allowing eligible customers to receive a refund for unused licence plate validation regardless of original methods of payment along with elimination of the administrative fee.
  • Trained and certified more than 1,000 public servants in Lean White Belt, doubling the number of lean-trained staff across the public service.

Driving efficiencies

  • Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON) is expanding to become the single system to manage Ontario’s relationship with its many thousands of transfer payment partners and agencies. TPON released a completely new infrastructure in 2019-20 that improves user experience and ensures compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
  • TPON on-boarded an additional 44 programs and delivered $1.2 billion to transfer payment recipients in 2019-20. This will drive operational excellence, reduce administrative cost and increase value for money for vital programs.
  • Undertaking Robotics Process Automation and Machine Learning (RPA/ML) pilot projects to automate and streamline business processes. This type of automation will increase back office government efficiencies and lower the cost of service delivery. The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) is the first pilot ministry to be successfully onboarded to this new automated process to prove that this type of innovative technology could be used in the Ontario Public Service. Once the pilot project is successfully completed, the target is to onboard all ministries in 2020-21 to unlock additional savings. MGCS is the first organization in the Ontario Government to use such RPA/ML technology to improve efficiency in back office processing.
  • Implemented new strategies and processes with all ministries to reduce costly paper cheques and increase the adoption of low-cost electronic funds transfers. This is part of a larger initiative to reduce administrative costs and go digital first. As of Q3 2019, manual cheque production decreased by 21% from the previous year.
  • Implemented a completely new system for Business Intelligence across the OPS that provides modern, powerful, secure business intelligence and data analytics. This system can be leveraged for evidence-based decision making through improved reporting and analysis, data visualizations, data analytics, text mining and statistical analysis. This included a new system called CONSOL that will enable the annual Ontario Public Accounts reporting to be fully automated and auditable.
  • Modernized the delivery of Integrated Financial Information Systems training by converting 38 instructor-led courses to digital learning, achieving cost savings. To date, over 26,000 OPS staff have completed the training digitally.
  • Established a security screening service arrangement with Triton Canada Inc., to provide a completely digital service, enabling fast, efficient and cost-effective security screening. Contractors working with the government that require background checks can access the system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • Provided a new, more efficient way for OPS managers and employees to access HR services and information by adding the OSS Contact Centre as an additional service channel. This helps resolve HR inquiries faster and supports the transformation of the entire OPS.
  • As of 2019-20, the government achieved I&IT savings of over $86 million annually through negotiated reductions in contract rates, collaborating with the broader public sector, and improving the management of applications and infrastructure.
  • Continued to improve financial data quality by capturing a Single Business Number for 96% of vendors doing business with the Ontario Government.
  • The ministry committed to the divestment of 241 properties by 2022, which are expected to generate between $105 million and $135 million in revenue; result in annual cost/liability reduction of almost $10 million; and, return approximately 14,600 acres to productive use. As of March 31, 2020, the ministry made approximately $108.5 million in net revenue and has also saved over $2.5 million in operating and maintenance costs.
  • The ministry updated the policy framework to mandate the use of an office space standard applicable to all ministries and provincial agencies. The changes implement an office space standard combining a minimum employee to workspace sharing ratio of 1.3 to 1 and a maximum of 180 rentable square feet per workspace.
  • The Forfeited Corporate Property program has returned 214 properties back into productive use since April 2018, bringing in $1.8 million in revenue. The program continues to work to reduce the number of forfeited corporate properties across the province.
  • The province’s liability has been reduced by approximately $40 million through the Contaminated Sites Program. The cleanup of contaminated sites protects the environment and reduces the liability to the province.
  • As of February 2020, the Transmission Corridor Program generated $20.3 million in revenue from secondary land use. After deducting operating expenses, approximately $4.5 million is expected to be remitted to the Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation to pay down the hydro stranded debt.
  • The Macdonald Block Reconstruction Project has successfully completed Phase 1, which involved the relocation of ministry tenants from the Macdonald Block Complex to temporary office locations and the procurement of a consortium to reconstruct the Complex. The Project is now in Phase 2 and reconstruction has begun. Reconstruction is expected to be substantially complete in March 2024.
  • Successfully transitioned 65,000+ employees to Office 365, a Microsoft Office productivity and mobile device management suite, in 18 months. All migration activities were completed on time, on budget, achieved targeted savings of $2M annually, while maintaining a high end-user client satisfaction rate. Now, all OPS staff can take advantage of these modern digital tools to further enhance collaboration, productivity and the user experience.

Service delivery excellence

  • Official Documents Services continues to provide excellent service delivery to the public with a 15% increase in transaction volume in the first three quarters of the year and met 100% of service standards, with an average client satisfaction rating of more than 96%.
  • Managed $6.1 billion in payroll and benefits administration for 65,000 Ontario government employees.
  • Made more than $3.6 billion worth of payments to more than 1,500 third parties such as Canada Revenue Agency, pension administrators, insurance carriers, and bargaining agents.
  • Processed approximately $123 billion worth of payments for the OPS in the enterprise Integrated Financial Information System supporting sound financial management, transaction processing, and financial planning and reporting.
  • Acting on recommendations from the Ontario Auditor General, delivered a new system of oversight in procuring and contracting for consulting services. This ensures that consulting services are acquired at the lowest cost, with the right skills, and is tied to business needs.
  • Archives of Ontario launched a new interactive and collaborative exhibition, ANIMALIA: Animals in the Archives, in December 2018. It explores people’s changing relationships with animals and how they have left their mark on Ontario’s history. As of March 2020, over 9000 people have visited the exhibition in person, including 1,000 students participating in 40 Archives of Ontario educational programming workshops.
  • In 2019-20, amendments were approved to modernize Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1990, (FIPPA) and Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1990, (MFIPPA) to reduce red tape for institutions and eliminate barriers for Ontarians through easier and efficient access to records. These amendments are expecting a 2020-21 introduction into the House and include the elimination of fees for personal information requests, which will remove financial barriers for individuals (including low-income individuals) seeking access to their personal information. It will also improve administrative efficiency for institutions, allowing for more focus on providing higher quality responses.
  • Delivered more than 50 million ServiceOntario interactions through its network of centres, online, by phone and mail.
  • Implemented changes to allow First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals to request an exemption from the requirement to publish notices of name changes in the Ontario Gazette.
  • Created a streamlined process for death registration to ease the burden for families when faced with registering the death of a loved one in the absence of remains.
  • Addressed key issues such as language changes, user experience design, improved usability and functional changes within the vital events online certificate application. These changes in October 2019 contributed to a 23% improvement in the accuracy of applications completed online by the customer.
  • Implemented the vital system changes for AODA compliance to ensure equal access for all users in accordance with provincial standards.
  • The ministry completed the migration of 44 programs from legacy technology to a modern, digital enabling, enterprise contact centre solution platform. This platform was used to deliver two key government commitments, namely the Military Hotline and Responsive Feedback Mechanism and is the foundation that will be leveraged for the Contact Centre Modernization SMART initiative, that was announced in the Fall Economic Statement.
  • Conducted 406 inspection visits in sectors that pose risks to consumers, including payday loan lenders, collection agencies, towing operators and ticket sellers. In addition, inspections were undertaken in auto body repair facilities and the home renovation sector in response to a large number of complaints received.
  • Provided best practice access and privacy advice and guidance to ministries and the Broader Public Sector organizations to enable business transformation.
  • Continued to deliver permits for the Ministry of Transportation’s QEW High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes. In fall 2019, the HOT Lanes service received a total of 1,445 applications. Of these, 882 permits were issued with 546 of these permits being renewals.
  • ServiceOntario contact centres launched several new lines of business — the Responsive Feedback Mechanism in support of the Ontario Open for Business initiative, the Ontario Military Families Relocation Hotline, and the Ontario Disability Support Program Line.
  • ServiceOntario continued to champion the Trillium Gift of Life. Just over 267,000 Ontarians were added to the Organ Donor Registry between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020.
  • As of the end of March 2020, there were approximately 673,000 Health Card renewals and 613,000 Driver’s Licence renewals completed through the online Health Card and Driver’s Licence Renewal application since it launched in January 2018. There were more than 466,000 joint renewals in which a Health Card and Driver’s Licence were renewed together.
  • To support the secure delivery of digital public services and digital transformation initiatives, the ministry launched the enterprise-wide OPS Cyber Security Strategy to support the OPS’s cyber security risk assessment services, monitoring and incident response program, access management services, and education and awareness programs across the OPS.
  • To support the move to Supply Chain Centralization, government introduced interim measures to encourage ministries, agencies and broader public sector entities to pursue collaborative bulk buying opportunities to achieve efficiencies and leverage other spend opportunities.
  • Established a Cyber Security Centre of Excellence for the Broader Public Sector to support ministries and broader public sector service delivery partners to improve digital resilience through education and awareness activities, and cyber threat knowledge and intelligence sharing.
  • The Consumer Services program has continued to provide services to the public through its contact centre. The ministry has also provided advice and assistance to consumers in respect of consumer transactions that could not be completed because of the COVID‑19 pandemic.
  • For the calendar year January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019, the ministry:
    • received 27,042 consumer complaints, incidents and inquiries
    • negotiated $926,065 in refunds to consumers via mediation
    • saved at least $436,608 for consumers via cancelled/rescinded contracts
    • conducted 406 inspection visits
    • laid 734 charges under the Consumer Protection Act, 2002, and other enforced acts
    • obtained 65 convictions, resulting in:
      • 320 months of probation time
      • $951,695 court-ordered restitution for victims
      • $1,189,000 in fines against violators
      • over 29 months of prison time
  • A Lean Delivery Office has been established to strengthen the capacity of the public service to employ Lean methods to identify and reduce waste, increase customer satisfaction, and improve the delivery of programs and services.
  • Set a new bar for digital services by introducing the Simpler, Faster, Better Services Act, 2019, that sets standards to put people first, enshrine proper data management and champion privacy and security. 21 acts, including 5 regulations were amended.
  • Created the first provincial Task Force on Digital and Data. Public listening sessions were held across 7 cities across Ontario with 750+ survey responses, 300+ in-person attendees, and 45+ long form submissions from industry.
  • Over half a million ServiceOntario transactions were moved online to help people interact with government. A better experience for those who went online, but also shorter lines for those who chose to go in person.
  • Launched new web content and functionality for licence plate sticker renewals leading to a reduction of over thousand calls a month, saving Ontarians money and valuable time.
  • Applied lean methods to the Accessible Parking Permit process which resulted in 300 more applications issued daily and leading to a 20% sustained productivity gain.
  • Conducted 46 collaborative, peer-to-per digital first assessments to ensure product teams across government build great digital products, from the start.
  • Launched a new open data catalogue and shared government data sets online with Ontarians to increase transparency and accountability, to help encourage innovation and solve problems through new ideas and applications.

Digital transformation

  • Publications Ontario launched a new, modern eCommerce and Order Management System with enhanced functionality to better meet the needs of the public and Ontario Public Service.
  • Expanded the Ontario Tenders Portal (OTP), a fully digital tendering portal, to include the full contract lifecycle, reducing the administrative burden on vendors doing business with Ontario.
  • Assisted the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to improve the digital customer journey for OPS benefits. The focus of the 18-month digital strategy, finalized in late 2017, was to make it easier for applicants and recipients to find relevant benefits information online.
  • Partnered with Ontario College of Art and Design to redesign the OPS service and order desk. The partnership focused on a user-centered design approach to create a simpler, more modern and flexible digital solution for OPS staff.
  • Creating open, efficient and digitally-enabled government for the 21st century
    • In partnership with ministries across government, amended 37 Acts and 6 Regulations to enable digital service delivery and data sharing, and launched the Digital First initiative, which included the introduction of legislation to reduce barriers to online service delivery.
    • MGCS launched the Digital Vendor of Record (VOR), a new procurement vehicle for the acquisition of user research and design services. The Digital VOR makes it easier for ministries to do business with over 20 leading digital suppliers.
    • Launched an internal data portal, CollabON, to promote secure data sharing and evidence-based policy-making within government.
    • Continued to build awareness, refine and support Ontario’s Open Data Catalogue (Ontario.ca/OpenData), including the establishment of partnerships with five universities and supporting the Canadian Open Data Summit. Increased content available by 15%, with a 5% year-over-year increase in downloads, serving a cumulative total of 880,000 data downloads since launch.
    • In partnership with leading academics in public administration, held a series of roundtables with public service leaders to advance scholar-practitioner collaboration on digital government reforms.
    • Launched public consultations to seek input for Ontario’s Digital and Data Action Plan that will help Ontarians and businesses benefit directly from the digital and data economy, while being confident their privacy is protected.
  • Building high-quality, user-centered products and platforms
    • Through the User Research Lab in Toronto and the Communitech Lab in Kitchener-Waterloo, trained over 150 OPS staff across at least 14 ministries in user research, service design and rapid prototyping methods to help ministries understand and better serve user needs.
    • Hosted over 230 user research sessions with end users both internal and external to the OPS.
    • Continued to enhance the drug coverage tool at Ontario.ca/RxChecker, through user research and testing.
    • Continued development of the newly redesigned Environmental Registry of Ontario, supporting high priority policy consultations, including the province’s Environmental Plan.
  • Extended the availability of Ontario’s digitized documentary heritage online by releasing over 465,000 images of five years of death and marriage records as well as 78 years of historical Ontario budget documents.

Supporting businesses

  • Initiated work on transforming the Ministry of Transportation’s Road User Safety Program Revenue Management System, with the target of moving revenue management functions onto the Integrated Financial Information System by March 2021. The improved Revenue Management System will enable automatic calculation of deferred revenue and robust reporting systems.
  • Continued work on the implementation of an improved delivery model for business registration services and modernization of the Ontario Business Information System with a target launch date in the Fall of 2020.
  • Continued to improve data integrity and the service experience for businesses and ensure all Ontario government business-facing programs will be able to collect and use the Business Number to simplify government-to-business interactions.
  • Continued leadership and participation in respect to the development of the Multi-jurisdictional Registry Access Service (MRAS), a single shared interoperability solution that connects jurisdictional registries. MRAS allows registries to exchange data confidentially and efficiently and simplifies the exchange of data between jurisdictional registries. This provides greater convenience for businesses seeking to operate in multiple jurisdictions.
  • The Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2020, passed third reading in the legislature (and subject to subsequent consultations and regulatory change) that will create a stronger business environment by laying the foundation for allowing real estate professionals to incorporate and be paid through the corporation, while maintaining measures that protect consumers.
  • The Rebuilding Consumer Confidence Act, 2020, was introduced in the legislature to help improve the Tarion new home warranty system, improve oversight over administrative authorities and make consumer protection laws more effective and efficient.
  • Working with the Business Law Modernization and Burden Reduction Council, reviewed MGCS’ 22 business and corporate law statutes to make recommendations to reduce burdens for business and to make Ontario a jurisdiction that is favourable for new incorporations.
  • Repealed the Residential Complex Sales Representation Act, 1990, (RCSRA) to simplify the body of law governing residential and commercial real estate transactions.
  • Repealed the Paperback and Periodical Distributors Act, 1990, (PPDA) and associated regulation (R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 906) to remove outdated legislation that does not reflect the modern methods of distribution for news and literature (i.e. online).
  • In October 2019, Ontario began accepting film ratings for mainstream films classified by Consumer Protection BC and approvals of adult film from any Canadian jurisdiction. The ministry is working on developing a longer-term strategy that will look at additional ways to update Ontario’s film classification framework.
  • Changes have been made to the rules under the Vintners Quality Alliance Act, 1999, that reduce red tape and provide more flexibility to wineries across the province. These changes will help create and protect jobs, attract investment to the province and offer consumers more choice. In August 2019, the Marquette hybrid grape variety was added to the list of permitted grape varieties eligible for Vintners Quality Alliance Ontario approval. This will help small and new wineries experience easier entry into Ontario’s premium wine market. In addition, as of August 2019, Ontario wineries can also produce table wines using grapes from different vintages, or harvest years, as it is now optional for them to include the vintage year for wines labelled exclusively with the “Ontario” geographical indicator.
  • Helped to make Ontario Open for Business through four journey mapping sessions with key Ontario businesses, to help better understand challenges and pain points experienced by businesses when interacting with government.
Table 3: Ministry Interim Actual Expenditures 2019-20
Expenditure TypeMinistry Interim Actual Expenditures
2019-20footnote 4
COVID‑19 ApprovalsN/A
Operating ($M)$1,413.4
Capital ($M)$338.7
Staff Strengthfootnote 5
(as of March 31, 2020)
5,102.16