Ontario gave parents more than $1B in cash over 2 years. Here's where the money went
CTV
During the pandemic, the Ontario government started to hand out cash to parents to help offset the cost of at-home learning while schools were shuttered.
During the pandemic, the Ontario government started to hand out cash to parents to help offset the cost of at-home learning while schools were shuttered.
Premier Doug Ford would later offer multiple versions of this program over the years, offering parents hundreds of dollars for tutoring in an effort to help kids “catch up” with their education.
But since 2020, hundreds of parents have complained they were unable to access those funds.
More than three million applications were received during the first three iterations of the program, resulting in over $1.1 billion in payments.
Data obtained by a Freedom of Information request shows where the money from those first three programs went.
The premier announced the first program–Support for Families–in 2020, offering to directly deposit $200 per child 12 years of age and under, or $250 for dependents with special needs under the age of 21.
Just over 2,600 parents applied for this program, totalling about $548,300 in payments.
