Provincial government staffers who try to access the social networking site Facebook from their computers are in for a nasty surprise.

Instead of seeing their array of contacts, they'll be met with the words "access denied."

Ontario has enacted a ban on the site for its staffers, meaning they won't be able to log in to the site when they're at work.

It joins other banned web destinations including YouTube, online gambling sites, and porn sites, according to Government Services Minister Gerry Phillips.

Phillips said the decision was made that the Facebook site, which currently has about 21 million members, doesn't directly relate to work, and should therefore be verboten.

Similar site MySpace is still accessible.

Facebook's Chris Kelly said he was perplexed by the ban, saying it can be a useful networking tool for businesses.

But Premier Dalton McGuinty defended the government's decision.

"I think Facebook is predominantly a social network," he said. "We understand that. It has its value, but we just don't really see how it adds value to work that you do in the workplace."

Canada is the fastest growing Facebook market, with 2 million users across the country. Toronto alone has more than half a million users.