The Ontario government says it is implementing a hiring freeze across provincial agencies, boards and commission public bodies starting Sept. 27.
“Effective September 27, 2025, our government is implementing a hiring freeze across Ontario’s provincial agencies, boards and commission public bodies,” said Caroline Mulroney, president of the Treasury Board. “This freeze will support the government’s ongoing efforts to be disciplined and responsible with taxpayer money while putting more resources into frontline service delivery and back into the pockets of taxpayers.”
The province said the move comes in response to significant growth in the size of provincial agencies, which have expanded at more than five times the rate of the Ontario Public Service (OPS) since 2023. A similar freeze has been in effect in the OPS since 2018.
“We are ensuring this same discipline is in effect for the province’s agencies, boards and commission public bodies,” Mulroney said.
The government said the agencies remain essential to delivering public services, including Ontario’s plan to build hospitals, transit, highways and other infrastructure. Officials said investments in those bodies will continue but must be directed to frontline service delivery.
“These measures are part of our government’s plan to enhance oversight and strengthen data collection across our provincial agencies, boards and commission public bodies, to ensure they are working as efficiently and effectively as possible,” Mulroney said.
Since 2018, Ontario has reduced the number of provincial agencies from 191 to 143. The government said it will now work with agencies to ensure their human resource strategies align with the new direction.
