'As a result of the restrictions put in place by the Ontario government in June 2018 — which included non-essential travel and expenses such as meals — spending on travel, meals, and hospitality has declined to its lowest level in a decade'

The Ontario government says it is saving over $25 million on travel, meals, and hospitality, ensuring that government spending is directed to core programs and services.

"As a result of the restrictions put in place by the Ontario government in June 2018 — which included non-essential travel and expenses such as meals — spending on travel, meals, and hospitality has declined to its lowest level in a decade," according to a government news release."Year-over-year highlights from 2017-18 to 2018-19 include reduced spending on accommodations by $9 million and air travel by $7 million, as well as reduced spending on hospitality by $1 million."

Other notables include:

Saving over $77,000 since mid-2018 by cancelling catering for Cabinet and committee meetings.

Saving approximately $40,000 within a single program area by using video conferencing rather than attending frequent meetings in-person.

Cutting catering costs during lock-up on Budget Day in half, by ending the practice of elaborate, catered lunches for attendees and instead providing a pizza lunch.

The government has updated its rules around travel, meal and hospitality expenses to enhance oversight and accountability and modernize practices. Changes include:

Ensuring the best price by specifying "lowest fare available" for air and rail travel, rather than "economy" or "coach."

Providing more cost-effective options for road travel.

Encouraging savings by asking people to consider accommodations outside of pricier downtown areas.

Updating and modernizing the rules by accepting e-receipts or scanned receipts instead of requiring printed receipts.

There are three sets of rules: