WATCH: Ford says OSAP ‘fraudsters’ should go to jail as students face payment freeze

TORONTO — Premier Doug Ford said a “bunch of criminals” and “fraudsters” exploited the OSAP system and should go to jail, as his government continues a freeze on grants to private career colleges while a KPMG audit is underway.“There’s a bunch of criminals,” Ford told reporters. “I can’t paint a broad brush against all colleges because there’s really good private career colleges, but there’s some really bad people… I hope these crooks go to jail because they’re nothing but a bunch of fraudsters. And we’re going to hold them accountable.”He said the Ontario Provincial Police has been called in and that KPMG is auditing institutions line by line. Ford acknowledged stories of students who may lose apartments or have to drop out of programs, calling them “heartbreaking,” but said the government will not release money until it has confidence the recipients are legitimate.Education Minister Nolan Quinn said the ministry has investigated more than 3,200 tips and complaints since 2020. He said individual investigations showed broader problems across the sector, which is why a third-party auditor was brought in. Quinn confirmed the interim KPMG report will not be made public while the investigation continues. “At this point, the investigation is still ongoing,” he said..Opposition members said the government has known about issues for years. They noted that problems were flagged as early as 2023 and that the government still allowed large sums to flow before imposing a sector-wide freeze seven weeks into the current school year. They argued the pause is punishing students who did nothing wrong.Ontario Liberal Critic for Training, Colleges and Universities Tyler Watt said he met a student living in her car with her son because her OSAP support was frozen. “I met someone who was living in her car with her son right now… OSAP was promised to her. Now her program is done. She has to drop out. She has nowhere to live. Can’t put food on the table for her son,” Watt said. NDP Leader Marit Stiles went further, saying the government’s handling of the file raised questions beyond simple mistakes. “Is this just gross incompetence by this government, or is there something more sinister going on?” Stiles asked, pointing to what she described as years of tips and complaints that did not produce earlier action.Quinn said the government is bringing forward legislation this fall to tighten rules before more money is released. Ford said there will be “zero tolerance” once the audit identifies the institutions involved.

WATCH: Ford says OSAP ‘fraudsters’ should go to jail as students face payment freeze

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