Ford government spent $2 million on McKinsey contract amid push for healthcare savings

Ontario’s Ministry of Health spent more than $2 million on a global consultancy firm known for “sustainable public health solutions,” according to public disclosure records, as the Ford government was increasingly focused on the cost of the health care budget.

The province’s public accounts, which offer a detailed account of how nearly every taxpayer dollar is spent, show the Minister of Health hired global professional services firm McKinsey and company Canada for $2,090,500 during the 2025-26 fiscal year.

The ministry listed the expense under “other payments” with little information on the scope of the contract or what services were provided.

Four days after Global News first asked Health Minister Sylvia Jones’s office about the contract, a spokesperson said it was working on a response, but did not offer one by the deadline.

At Queen’s Park, Ontario’s Liberals questioned whether the contract is connected to Premier Doug Ford’s comments about the rate of health care spending in Ontario.

Last October, during a speech at the Empire Club, Ford highlighted the province’s health budget and expressed a desire to find savings.

“We’re spending over $91 billion in health care … we’ve seen massive, massive increases,” Ford said. “Now, we have to change things.”

“We have to make sure that we produce results and make sure that we have a lean system.”

Ford told the business audience the government had hired a “swat team” to identify savings across government.

“Why did the Ministry of Health pay $2.09 million dollar to McKinsey, the American consulting firm that charges hefty fees to tell executives how to cut costs, often at the workers’ expense?” asked interim Liberal leader John Fraser.

Fraser questioned whether McKinsey is part of the premier’s “swat team” to find efficiencies in the health care system.

McKinsey and company has had a years-long relationship with the Ministry of Heath.

In 2009, the former Liberal government gave the firm a $750,000 sole-sourced contract to review the Ontario Drug Benefit program.

Progressive Conservative MPPs, in opposition at the time, raised concerns about the “mystery around this contract” and questioned whether the firm recommended staffing reductions in healthcare – similar to advice that had been offered by the firm to other governments.

In 2020, as the province began responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on nursing homes, the province hired McKinsey to organize a government-wide response, earning a total of $11.2 million from Ontario taxpayers.

While the consultancy firm offers a range of services, including helping governments with strategy, program design and delivery, it also focuses on “effective and sustainable public health solutions.”

The company directed Global News back to the government for questions about the scope of the contract, but suggested it understood the curiosity.

“We recognize the importance of transparency when public funds are involved,” the firm said in a statement.

“McKinsey and company was selected through a competitive request for proposal based on our expertise.”