Second Ontario ministry facing external audit over ‘inconsistencies’ in funding use

The Ford government has called in an external auditor to review a second provincial ministry, as the Progressive Conservatives attempt to get a firm grip on a growing OSAP scandal that’s impacted thousands of students in private career colleges.

Labour Minister Trevor Jones confirmed to Global News the ministry tapped KMPG to review Better Jobs Ontario, a provincial program that helps unemployed workers retrain for new industries. The government has paused new applications to the program until the “inconsistencies” are sorted out.

“We did some investigations from the ministry’s end. They saw some kind of the same sort of kind of inconsistencies with where the money’s going to, who’s it going to and is it making benefit,” Jones said.

“Prudent to pause, take stock, review, and see if there are those inconsistencies and make sure that money’s going to where it has to be.”

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The government said nearly 4,300 workers received funding from the Better Jobs Ontario program in 2025, which gives students between $28,000 to $35,000 for tuition, books, transportation and housing.

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The review, Jones said, came after the Ministry of Colleges and Universities revealed instances of potential OSAP fraud in private career colleges – findings that were partially discovered by KMPG before being handed over to the OPP for review.

In that case, the government suggested “bad actors” were possibly posing as students attending virtual courses at private schools in Ontario.

“Allegations of third parties completing coursework on behalf of students, some entire courses completed in a single day. Final exams that were completed in as little as six minutes. Supposed students who could not even identify the institution they attended, the program they enrolled into, or the courses they were taking,” Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn told the legislature.

Jones said, unlike private career colleges, the Better Jobs Ontario program requires students to be physically present, and doesn’t allow for virtual courses.

“Most of that funding is tied to people in seats, physically in classrooms, hands-on training, could be forklift training, could be some other like skill type training, micro-credential training,” Jones said.

“So the incidence for risk is lower threshold, but still the risk is there.”

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Jones didn’t say how long the pause in applications would last or how much money was under investigation by KMPG.

Meanwhile, the government said the results of that KMPG audit will stay under wraps even after the firm has completed its final audit of the private career colleges sector.

Quinn said the government wants to ensure the “confidentiality of the audit” remains intact but promised the audit will lead to “actions” from the ministry.

“You’ll see instances of schools possibly not being renewed to be able to provide career college training in Ontario,” Quinn said.

Critics slammed the government for keeping the report a secret.

“It’s obvious the government is trying to hide the OSAP scandal,” said Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the government has offered few details on the scope of the audit but said taxpayers “deserve to know” the results of a publicly funded audit.