Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

Youth Justice
Chapter 8: Social Programs
The youth justice sector has changed significantly since the introduction of the federal Youth
Criminal Justice Act in 2003. The greater focus placed on community-based interventions has
resulted in a decrease in the use of youth justice facilities, some of which are underused and
require considerable capital investment to keep operational. Current facilities should be
continually evaluated for their contribution to achieving the sector’s policy objectives. Where
excess capacity can be demonstrated and a more efficient option exists, strategic closures
should occur and those assets should be put to more productive uses or divested entirely.
Recommendation 8-16: Reduce excess capacity in the youth justice system through
strategic closures of facilities.
Contributions of the Non-Profit Sector
The non-profit sector is an often-overlooked contributor to the Canadian economy.
In 2007, the value-added or gross domestic product (GDP) of the non-profit sector was
$35.6 billion, accounting for 2.5 per cent of the total Canadian economy. This share
increases to 7.0 per cent when hospitals, universities and colleges are included, reaching
$100.7 billion in 2007. 14 Excluding hospitals, colleges and universities, the non-profit sector
employs 600,000 people and has over five million volunteers, supporting a wide variety of
sectors including health, education, environment and social services in Ontario. These same
non-profit organizations in the province have annual revenues of $29 billion, 45 per cent
coming from earned income, 29 per cent from federal and provincial government grants
and service contracts, and 26 per cent from gifts, donations and other sources. 15
Most non-profit organizations (53 per cent) in Ontario are completely volunteer-run, having no
paid staff. 16 We must not underestimate the contributions of volunteers to care for our elderly,
retrain the unemployed, educate our children and care for our environment. Steps should be
taken to ensure that these organizations continue to get funding. However, there is room for
improvement in terms of streamlining administration and ensuring that accountability
frameworks focus on outcome metrics. In addition, multi-year agreements can help create
predictable budget cycles for non-profit organizations.
14 Statistics Canada, “Satellite Account of Non-Profit Institutions and Volunteering,” Catalogue no. 13-015-X, downloaded from
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/13-015-x/13-015-x2009000-eng.pdf.
15 Imagine Canada, “The Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector in Ontario: National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations Fact Sheet,”
2005, downloaded from http://library.imaginecanada.ca/files/nonprofitscan/en/nsnvo/factsheet_voluntary_sector_ontario.pdf.
16 Ibid.
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