Liberals ask Ontario auditor to probe spending, oversight of OSAP at career colleges

Liberal party officials in Ontario have requested that the auditor general investigate spending and oversight of student financial aid at private career colleges. This comes after Canadian Press reported a significant increase in OSAP funding to a small number of career colleges. According to the data, in 2024-25, nearly $1 billion in OSAP grants went to career college students, with just seven schools receiving $385 million of that funding.

The increase in funding between 2023-24 and 2024-25 was $465 million, and 95% of that went to private career college students. The auditor general's office stated that all 2026 audits are underway, but they will take Watt's request into account for future planning. The request for an audit was made by Tyler Watt, a critic of Liberal colleges and universities, who stated that the situation resembles a "billion-dollar scandal" similar to Doug Ford's next potential financial disaster.

The Liberal party's decision to investigate the issue comes after multiple stories by Canadian Press highlighting the disproportionate impact of OSAP applications at a few career colleges compared to other institutions and publicly funded colleges and universities.