Ford government's OSAP freeze 'ruined my life,' says Niagara student living in a shelter

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced that an audit firm, KPMG, is prioritizing the clearance of low-risk career colleges in the investigation of student financial aid usage at these institutions. However, Ford did not provide a specific timeline for when this process will be completed. The government had previously paused OSAP payments to all career colleges and private post-secondary institutions due to concerns regarding the integrity of the system.

Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn stated that this pause will continue until the government implements a new and strengthened approval process for career colleges seeking OSAP eligibility, with this new process expected to be in place by the new year. As a result, career college students are facing uncertainty in their ability to pay for rent, living expenses, and tuition without the OSAP funding they previously received.

Both career colleges and other private post-secondary institutions have been urging the government to take more targeted action against what they refer to as "bad actors" without penalizing innocent students. Ford mentioned that his government has asked KPMG to prioritize low-risk colleges to resume funding as soon as possible, but he did not provide any specific estimate for when this timeline would be met.