Answer
What does Ontario's Buy Ontario framework require of suppliers?
Ontario's Building Ontario Businesses Initiative, sometimes called “Buy Ontario”, directs Ontario public sector entities to prioritize goods and services from Ontario-based suppliers where it's practical to do so. The exact scope, covered entities and any dollar thresholds are set out on Ontario's own procurement pages, which suppliers should check directly since these details change.
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What the initiative asks of public buyers
It asks provincial ministries, agencies and other public sector entities within its scope to give preference to Ontario-based businesses when procuring goods and services, consistent with Ontario's trade obligations under agreements like the Canadian Free Trade Agreement. The current list of covered entities and any exemptions is published on Ontario's Building Ontario Businesses Initiative page.
What counts as an Ontario-based supplier
Ontario publishes its own definition and evidence requirements for this initiative, separate from the Competition Bureau's “Made in Canada” labelling thresholds and separate from the federal Buy Canadian Policy's definition of a Canadian supplier. Ask the contracting entity which definition applies to a specific bid before relying on any one of them.
Municipalities are generally separate
Municipalities are their own procuring entities with their own purchasing bylaws and policies; the provincial initiative's scope is described on Ontario's page above. A supplier bidding on municipal work should confirm that municipality's own local-preference policy, if it has one, directly with its procurement office rather than assuming the provincial initiative applies.
What suppliers should have ready
Proof of an Ontario place of business, evidence of where the work is actually done, and — for a related “Made in Canada” product claim — the same cost and origin documentation described in Canadian content in procurement. Check Ontario's page on doing business with the Ontario government for current bid opportunities and requirements.
Common questions
- Is “Buy Ontario” a legal certification a supplier can obtain?
- Does a federal Buy Canadian Policy supplier automatically qualify under Buy Ontario?
Sources
This page explains public guidance in plain language. It is not legal advice, and Checked Canadian is not a government body.
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