Ontario pauses OSAP payments for private career colleges

Ontario has paused all Ontario Student Assistance Program payments for private career-college students while a KPMG audit continues, after preliminary findings raised concerns about the integrity of the aid system. The province has also referred information to the Ontario Provincial Police, which said it is reviewing the material. The investigations have not established that misconduct occurred or how broadly any irregularities may extend. Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn said the preliminary audit findings included concerns about common ownership among colleges, links with immigration-services firms, inadequate checks on student identities and course enrolment, and unusually high concentrations of applications from particular geographic areas. The province began the KPMG audit in August, and Quinn said payments would remain paused while the work proceeds. The suspension applies across the private career-college sector, not only to schools identified in the preliminary concerns. Colleges and students say the funding uncertainty is disrupting planning and leaving some students unsure whether they can continue their studies.