Ontario’s auditor general, Shelley Spence, discovered that the province has discarded over one billion pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) at a total cost of $1.4 billion since 2021. The province continues to procure masks, gowns, and other protective gear at levels similar to the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, despite a significant decrease in demand.
In her annual report, Spence highlighted that expired products started accumulating in the provincial stockpile due to some PPE purchased during the pandemic not meeting quality standards and remaining unused. This situation arose during the critical shortage of protective gear in Ontario, especially in the initial stages when much of the existing PPE inventory had already expired.
To manage the stockpile, the province established Supply Ontario in late 2020. However, Spence found that the agency lacks an efficient inventory tracking system.
Supply Ontario now incinerates expired PPE, converting it into heat energy instead of recycling it. The province entered long-term contracts for PPE between October 2020 and April 2021, committing to purchasing 188 million surgical masks annually. Yet, only 39 million were distributed last year, representing 21% of the total.
Furthermore, Supply Ontario procured 25 million N95 masks in 2024-25 but distributed only 5.5 million, equivalent to 22% utilization. Spence estimated that a substantial number of surgical and N95 masks, valued at approximately $126 million, are likely to expire between 2025/26 and 2030/31 if current distribution levels are maintained.
Spence refrained from blaming the government for the wastage, acknowledging the challenges faced during the pandemic procurement rush. Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery Stephen Crawford attributed the waste to the previous government’s acquisition of substandard foreign-made protective equipment.
Despite the surplus PPE stockpiled, hospitals receive only a disproportionately low 2% of the items, indicating an unmet demand. Spence recommended that Supply Ontario enhance its inventory tracking system, consolidate data sources, and conduct a value-for-money analysis to optimize purchasing decisions.
Supply Ontario, led by Premier Doug Ford’s former chief of staff, Jamie Wallace, has agreed to implement all six of Spence’s recommendations. The agency is in the process of consolidating inventory records and developing an integrated warehouse management system for improved financial reporting.
Additionally, Supply Ontario will collaborate with hospitals to better distribute PPE, establish metrics for monitoring equipment purchases, and provide analysis to the government. Opposition leader Marit Stiles criticized the mismanagement, calling it “absolutely bonkers.”
