Because the Ford authorities faces rising scrutiny over how a handful of personal profession faculties tapped into the OSAP system, Ontario’s provincial police say they’re reviewing the allegations however have but to determine on whether or not to launch a proper legal probe.
In early October, the Ministry of Schools and Universities sounded the alarm about six personal profession faculties that had been engaged in “egregious use of taxpayer {dollars}” and accused them of criminality by profiting from the scholar help program.
Nolan Quinn stated an inner investigation discovered “unusually excessive concentrations of OSAP purposes submitted from the identical geographic places” and in addition pointed to the involvement of “immigration companies companies” being immediately tied to or co-owned by some profession faculties in query.
After referring the findings to auditing agency KPMG for a deeper dive, Quinn stated the federal government had additionally “reported it to the OPP and the Auditor Basic.”
The OPP confirmed that it “obtained a referral from the Ontario authorities and that the allegations are “at present underneath assessment.”
“I’m not capable of present an estimated timeline for the assessment,” an OPP spokesperson stated in a press release. “Because the matter stays underneath assessment, we’re unable to supply any additional element or remark.”
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Ontario’s Auditor Basic, nonetheless, stated the workplace solely obtained a “notification” from the federal government, however that the province stopped in need of requesting a proper value-for-money audit.
“An announcement was made by Minister Quinn on October 6 that states “Consequently, the federal government notified the Auditor Basic final week and has additionally referred this matter to the Ontario Provincial Police,” the auditor’s workplace stated in an e-mail.
“We are able to affirm that the Workplace of the Auditor Basic obtained a notification from the federal government final week. This was separate from the request for an audit obtained from MPP Tyler Watt.”
Whereas the minister has the ability to request a “particular task,” it’s unclear why the federal government selected to solely notify the auditor versus request a efficiency audit – much like Liberal MPP Tyler Watt’s request.
The auditor’s workplace added that the workplace has been notified about comparable points up to now and pressured that it’s their “expectation that the federal government would inform us, as we’re its unbiased auditor of the general public accounts of Ontario.”
Whereas the investigations stay in query, the Ford authorities continues to face calls to forestall the issue from spilling over into different establishments.
There are at present 242 profession faculties which can be eligible to obtain OSAP in Ontario, all of which have now been reduce off from the provincial program because the province examines the scope of the issue.
Profession Schools Ontario, the affiliation representing tons of of establishments, is urging the Ford authorities to reinstate scholar monetary assist for profession faculty college students who had been already permitted for funds and are actively attending in-person courses.
The affiliation, which had been warning the federal government about doable misuse of OSAP since 2023, says the federal government must be taking focused motion to handle these issues, not disrupting the training of scholars who’ve adopted the principles.
The minister has solely indicated that the pause in OSAP grants will stay in impact till the federal government’s third-party auditors can full a wider probe.
“The auditors, the third-party auditors, haven’t given us assurances but, and I’ll respect the specialists. And each time they offer me assurance to have the ability to launch all the establishments,” Quinn on Oct. 2.
“That’s after we’ll transfer ahead with OSAP for profession faculties.”
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