Since the Municipal Buy Ontario Procurement Directive took effect on April 13, 2026¹, Ontario municipalities have been adapting to new procurement expectations that place greater emphasis on Ontario and Canadian goods and services.

The Government of Ontario has recently reinforced that compliance is expected. Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack advised municipal leaders that the province may reconsider funding for municipalities found not to be following the requirements. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) has noted that municipalities are already significant purchasers from Canadian businesses, but also identifies the additional time, cost and complexity that some of the new rules can create.²

For municipal procurement teams, the challenge is translating these evolving requirements into practical sourcing decisions while continuing to balance value, competition, operational needs, fiscal pressures and continuity of supply.

As a national group purchasing organization and partner of AMO Local Authority Services (LAS), HealthPRO Canada is adapting its sourcing, contracting and advisory services to help municipalities respond.

This work includes:

• Incorporating Buy Ontario and Buy Canadian considerations into procurement documents and supplier questionnaires;
• Collecting information about supplier ownership, headquarters, employment presence and operations in Ontario and Canada;
• Providing members with information to help make more informed decisions about Ontario and Canadian suppliers;
• Helping municipalities identify domestic sourcing opportunities across available contracts;
• Sharing practical guidance on how policy changes may affect sourcing strategies, supplier selection and contract participation; and
• Supporting supply chain resilience by considering domestic sourcing alongside product availability, service requirements and continuity of supply.
• HealthPRO Canada’s national purchasing network supports municipalities pursue domestic procurement objectives while preserving access to competitive contracts, supplier choice and essential products and services.

Municipalities interested in learning how HealthPRO Canada’s contracts, sourcing processes and procurement resources may support their Buy Ontario and Buy Canadian objectives can contact Ross Noble, Senior Director, Business Development at rnoble@healthprocanada.com



References

1) Government of Ontario. (2026, April 13). Municipal Buy Ontario procurement directive. https://www.ontario.ca/page/municipal-buy-ontario-procurement-directive 

2) Callan, I., & D’Mello, C. (2026, September 16). Ford government threatens to cut funding to towns, cities that break ‘Buy Ontario’ rules. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/12061895/buy-ontario-rules-reminder/