OSAP pause leads career college to suspend classes

TORONTO - Ontario career college Trillium College has halted its academic operations due to a province-wide suspension of student financial assistance to private post-secondary institutions. The college, which operates in St. Catharines, Kingston, Oshawa, Sudbury, and Cobourg, announced the pause on Friday. The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) payments to career colleges and other private post-secondary institutions are currently on hold while an audit is conducted.

Trillium College's decision to suspend classes is aimed at safeguarding the orderly completion of student programs, as continuing normal operations without a viable funding solution could jeopardize their completion. The province's Colleges and Universities Minister, Nolan Quinn, announced the financial assistance pause earlier this month, citing concerns over potential suspicious OSAP usage at certain colleges.

However, Quinn's office has stated that evidence has emerged of systemic issues. Trillium College's temporary academic pause follows the government's denial of OSAP eligibility for six other colleges earlier this year.