Ontario spent a record $112 million on taxpayer-funded advertising last year, with the province’s auditor saying 38 per cent of the campaigns were meant to leave people with a “positive impression” of Premier Doug Ford’s government and came ahead of the snap election.

Auditor General Shelley Spence outlines the spending in her latest annual report, noting that it surpasses the previous record for government ad buys the year before by $8.4 million. The deep dive into the spending looks at the 2024-25 fiscal year, which includes the months leading up to the last provincial election that saw the Progressive Conservatives win a third-straight majority government.

“There tends to be a little bit more government advertising right before an election,” Spence said. “And this time was no differen

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