Ford government refusing to release secret report that suggested selling off ROM artifacts

An iconic Toronto museum is not able to “achieve financial sustainability” without extra provincial funding, according to a secret study the Ford government is refusing to release that also proposed selling off some of its collection to raise funds.

Consultancy firm Ernst & Young completed an audit of the Royal Ontario Museum toward the end of 2022 after the government tasked them with digging into its finances.

The study, which was never publicly disclosed, looked at how the ROM had struggled with revenue since the COVID-19 lockdown.

The report also went on to make recommendations about what steps the museum could take to survive.

Those secret suggestions, which the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming is currently fighting to keep hidden, included the idea of selling off a storage facility owned by the ROM, as well as some of its artifacts.

Both the ROM and the provincial government said the two ideas, which Global News learned about through an ongoing freedom of information appeal, aren’t being seriously considered.

The government, however, will not release the entire report or offer any other details about it, leading some critics to question why it appears to be determined to keep the recommendations redacted.

“My first response is, what are you trying to hide?” Ontario NDP MPP Jessica Bell said.

“We are hearing concerning reports that the ROM is in financial difficulty and is looking at selling off some significant assets. That’s extremely worrying. Until the ROM or the government shares public information about the health of the ROM’s finances, then I’m going to believe that something could be pretty concerning here.”

A spokesperson for ROM told Global News its recent financial performance has been good.

“ROM ran a small surplus in the most recent fiscal year 2024/2025 [$4.197M] and we have solid footing and positive momentum moving forward,” they wrote in a statement.

It was back in 2022 that Ernst & Young finished an audit of the ROM.

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The auditors had been called in, according to documents obtained by Global News, because the museum was struggling from the pandemic “due to closures, funding and admission challenges.”

The consultants produced a report looking at how the museum is funded by provincial taxpayers, assessing its plans to recover from the pandemic and whether it will be able to deliver new capital projects.

But almost every detail of that report is being kept secret by the Ford government, which argues releasing it would harm the province’s economy, as well as revealing both advice to the government and cabinet deliberations.

Global News sought a copy of the audit using freedom of information laws in late 2024, almost exactly two years after it was completed.

A heavily redacted version was shared by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, with all notable details — like costs, losses or analysis — removed.

The limited details disclosed through the documents said the majority of the museum’s revenue came from attendance, events and foundation payments before the COVID-19 pandemic.

After lockdowns, the ROM used emergency government funding to try to recover.

Close to every other observation from the report has been redacted, with even a communications plan and attendance forecasts withheld.

Global News is currently in the process of appealing the decision to the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

During that appeal, as it fights to keep the report secret, the government has admitted the study features details of the ROM’s dire finances and drastic measures it could take to turn the ship around.

A series of arguments made by the provincial government in front of the Information and Privacy Commission offered some insights into the secret report.

“Without additional government funding and approvals, the ROM could not achieve financial sustainability solely through the performance of its existing programs or policies,” the government submissions read.

“Accordingly, an examination of ROM’s operational capacity was necessary only to support an informed assessment of the level and nature of government intervention required.”

That examination appears to have offered some significant suggestions, which the museum and government insist aren’t being considered.

“The reports are not designed or intended to be used by the ROM to address or improve its internal operational efficiency,” the government’s arguments continued.

“Instead, they contain strategic and, in some instances, speculative recommendations, such as the exploration of the potential sale of ROM’s Oakville storage facility or exhibit artifacts as a means of improving cash flow, these considerations fall outside the scope of assessing the ROM’s operational performance or efficiency.”

Despite the admission, the government said it was not considering the plan.

“The ROM is not planning on permanently selling any of its artifacts,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming wrote in a statement.

Even as the government denies it is considering selling off exhibits at the ROM — and points to $15 million more in operating revenue it announced this year — it is refusing to share details of the report.

It argues that the analysis of the ROM’s finances and its plans to recover from the pandemic would reveal secret, internal government deliberations, and the public interest wouldn’t be served by sharing them.

Bell said the report reminded her of the secrecy around the Ontario Science Centre, which was abruptly shuttered in a matter of hours in 2024, over concerns the government said it had about the institution’s roof.

“We’re seeing the government behave in a very secretive manner over a whole bunch of things: the Greenbelt, the skills development fund, the science center,” she said.

“When the truth comes out, we see that the government is not behaving in an appropriate way. There’s waste, there’s mismanagement. And I fear if there’s a secrecy around the wrong, the same thing could be happening here.”