Provinces Sitting on Millions in Unspent Federal Pandemic Spending, Report Says

The Peace Tower is pictured on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Jan. 25, 2021, as lawmakers return to the House of Commons following the winter break. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

OTTAWA—A new report on billions of dollars the federal government has sent to provinces to help safely reopen the economy suggests much of the money is sitting unused.

Today’s report also suggests that federal efforts to stretch the financial impact of those dollars is falling short as many provinces have bucked cost-matching requests.