Cost of federal IT project explodes to up to $6.6 billion
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
OTTAWA – The federal government says it could end up spending up to $6.6 billion to update the systems it uses to deliver benefits to Canadians — more than three times what was budgeted at the project’s launch.
The initiative involves migrating Old Age Security, the Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance benefit programs to a cloud-based platform.
The modernization project is led by Employment and Social Development Canada and the government initially set aside $1.75 billion for the work in 2017.
A document shared by the department says the spending cap has been updated over time because of the rise in cybersecurity threats, greater understanding of the complexity of the work required and an expansion of the project.
As of December 2025, the document says actual spending on the project amounted to $1.8 billion.
While the program’s original timeline called for completion by 2030, the document says the projected completion date range is now 2030—31.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2026.