Ontario freezes OSAP funding to private career colleges; students caught mid-studies

Ontario has suspended OSAP funding to private career colleges, leaving students mid-program without financial support. The province cited instances of fraud as the reason for the freeze and promised colleges could regain access if they meet strict new eligibility requirements—requirements it has not yet announced.

Kaitlynn Ford, a paralegal student six weeks into her program at Algonquin Careers Academy in Ottawa, cannot pay her October rent. "We're not just frustrated and upset and stressed-out. We're livid," Ford told the Ottawa Citizen. She gave up her previous job to pursue the paralegal career and lost both parents in the last decade.

The scale of the impact beyond Ford's case is unclear—the province has not announced how many students across Ontario are affected or what the new eligibility requirements will be or when colleges must comply. Liberal MPPs John Fraser and Tyler Watt attended a press event at Algonquin Careers Academy to show support for affected students.