TORONTO — Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn said Tuesday he would not release a government-commissioned KPMG audit into Ontario Student Assistance Program payments at private career colleges, only for his office to reverse course hours later and say the ministry would consider making portions public.Quinn told reporters after Question Period that the audit would stay confidential to protect its integrity. “Ultimately, we want to keep ensuring that the confidentiality of that audit is taking place, but we will act accordingly with the results of that audit,” he said. The province hired KPMG after sharp growth in OSAP usage at a small number of private schools raised integrity concerns. Preliminary findings were serious enough that the government referred the matter to the Ontario Provincial Police and paused OSAP payments to all private post-secondary institutions until at least early 2027.A spokesperson for Quinn later said the ministry would “consider” releasing information from the audit if it does not compromise a potential OPP investigation, a possible future Auditor General review, “or the ministry’s efforts to obtain evidence, recover funds and hold bad actors accountable.”.Progressive Conservative members of the legislature’s public accounts committee had already voted down a Liberal motion asking the Auditor General to examine OSAP spending at career colleges and the ministry’s oversight. Government members argued a second review could duplicate KPMG’s work and complicate existing investigations.The backtrack landed the same day a Liaison Strategies poll showed 62% of Ontarians disapprove of Premier Doug Ford’s handling of education, with only 28% approving. Ford’s overall approval stood at 37%, with 57% disapproving. The survey of 1,000 Ontarians, conducted Oct. 30–31, also found more respondents would blame the government than the unions for any school closures stemming from stalled negotiations.Opposition parties have pressed for full public release of the KPMG findings, arguing taxpayers funded the work and deserve to see what the government discovered before imposing a system-wide freeze that has affected legitimate students. Quinn has previously said the ministry examined more than 3,200 tips and complaints since 2020. He has defended the pause as necessary to protect the integrity of the student aid system while investigations continue. The ministry has not said when any portions of the audit might be released.
