OPP investigate possible criminal activity linked to OSAP funding

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are investigating possible criminal activity involving Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) payments at private career colleges.

Provincial auditors found possible criminal activity involving OSAP payments, prompting Ontario to raise concerns over funding for private career colleges.

“Preliminary findings have identified serious concerns about the integrity of the OSAP system across private post-secondary institutions that requires further investigation,” said Nolan Quinn, Ontario’s minister of colleges and universities.

“As a result, the government has paused all OSAP payments associated with private post-secondary institutions while the audit proceeds.”

WATCH MORE: Ontario Liberals seek OSAP audit as students struggle with rising costs

Quinn says the findings raised concerns about student verification, immigration firms and unusual concentrations of applications.

This fall, the province is planning to introduce further legislation to strengthen the oversight of OSAP funding.

While the investigation continues, the province has also paused OSAP payments for private career college students and is looking into other temporary loans students can apply to.

Additionally, online programs at private career colleges will no longer be eligible for OSAP funding.

READ MORE: Ontario was warned of ‘suspicious’ OSAP activity at a few career colleges: documents