Ontario police review allegations of misuse of student aid by private career colleges

In early October, Ontario's Ministry of Colleges and Universities warned that six private career colleges had engaged in "egregious" exploitation of the OSAP student assistance program, highlighting clusters of applications from specific regions and connections to immigration service firms. Minister Nolan Quinn said an internal review sent the findings to KPMG for deeper analysis and reported the case to the Ontario Provincial Police and the Auditor General.

The OPP confirmed receipt of the referral but has not set a timeline for a formal criminal probe, stating the matter remains under review. The Auditor General's office noted it only received a notification, not a request for a value-for-money audit, and has been alerted to similar issues previously. As a precaution, the province has halted OSAP funding for all 242 career colleges, while Career Colleges Ontario urges the government to restore aid for students who are attending in-person classes and have followed the rules. The pause will stay until third-party auditors provide assurance that the system is secure.