Ford says OSAP auditors will clear low-risk career colleges first; no timeline given

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced an audit firm, KPMG, will prioritize clearing low-risk career colleges before unfreezing their funding, though no specific timeline was provided. The government had placed a pause on OSAP payments to all career colleges and private post-secondary institutions after KPMG began investigating potential misuse of student financial aid.

Education Minister Nolan Quinn has stated that the freeze will continue until a new, stronger approval process is implemented for career colleges seeking OSAP eligibility, expecting the process to be completed in the new year. In the interim, students attending career colleges express concerns about how they will manage their rent, living expenses, and tuition without the previously approved OSAP funding.

Both career colleges and other private post-secondary institutions have been urging the government to take more focused action against what they term "bad actors," without burdening innocent students with the consequences. Ford's administration has directed KPMG to prioritize low-risk colleges to restore funding promptly, but no specific timeframe was disclosed. This report by The Canadian Press was originally published on November 4, 2026.