3. Three-Year Financial Plan

3. Three-Year Financial Plan

The OHRC complies with Treasury Board/Management Board of Cabinet and Ministry of Finance directives on financial management and accountability. The OHRC works with the Ministry of the Attorney General to meet all applicable reporting requirements. The OHRC is responsible for ensuring that the decisions it takes to fulfill its statutory mandate are in accordance with its authority under the Code and otherwise lawful.

The OHRC is accountable to the Legislative Assembly through its annual report, and to the Attorney General through regular financial and administrative reporting.

The OHRC continues to address systemic human rights issues across Ontario, including complex and high-profile issues according to its strategic plan and remains agile to respond to other emerging human rights issues. The OHRC will continue to work with the Ministry of the Attorney General on its financial and staffing needs to effectively meet its province-wide human rights mandate and build a culture of human rights in the province. The OHRC continues to implement business improvement optimization initiatives to enhance efficiency and operational effectiveness.

For several consecutive years, the OHRC has incorporated vacancy management into its project funding approach. This strategy has created operational challenges which restricts the OHRC’s presence in communities across the province, including northern communities, and limits the ability to respond to local human rights issues. 

The OHRC continues to face budgetary pressures and may need to consider further cost-reduction strategies which could affect its ability to effectively fulfill its mandate. 

Over the next three years, the OHRC will continue to demonstrate fiscal responsibility while continuing to implement its strategic objectives by:

• Managing position vacancies.
• Building staff capacity through learning and development in a cost-effective way.
• Increasing its use of digital resources to disseminate information.
• Providing resources to the public in accessible electronic and downloadable formats.
• Where possible, using video conferencing technology for external meetings, public education, stakeholder engagement, and other related activities.
• Pursuing opportunities with cost recovery options.
• Optimizing operational systems and processes.
• Aligning priorities and initiatives to broader goals and enhancing capacity to measure and respond to outcomes.
• Using internal resources where possible to perform some previously outsourced tasks.
• Prioritizing collaboration and partnerships with other organizations to reduce or share costs on joint projects/initiatives.
• Using a business-critical lens to assess all expenditure requests and identifying opportunities for efficiencies and cost-reduction strategies during the business planning and implementation process.

Three-Year Outlook

The OHRC’s operations will be guided by its current strategic plan, Human Rights First: A plan for belonging in Ontario. The current strategic plan has been extended to March 31, 2028, and remains anchored in five priority areas: Indigenous Reconciliation, Criminal Justice, Health and Wellbeing, Education, and Human Rights Culture. These priorities guide the OHRC’s work, ensuring that a human rights-based approach informs public policy, institutional practices, and community engagement.

Budget

The OHRC’s three-year budget to implement its strategic and operational plans is as follows (based on 2025-26 allocation):