Ontario pauses Better Jobs Ontario funding amid review, leaving students in limbo

TORONTO · The Ontario government has paused funding through the Better Jobs Ontario program for students at private career colleges, extending a freeze on financial aid beyond the Ontario Student Assistance Program. There has been no public communication from the government about the status of the program, which helps unemployed people get skills training to move off social assistance. People who were depending on the program and the institutions set to train them are facing delays and uncertainty. Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn's office confirmed other streams of provincial funding to private institutions are under review.

Reece Daniel was hoping to begin a heating, ventilation and air conditioning program in London, Ont., on Oct. 19. The government had scheduled a meeting for Oct. 13 to give him information about his Better Jobs Ontario funding agreement, but cancelled a few days prior, saying applications were under review. The next intake for his HVAC program is not until May 2027. "This course was something that was going to get me jumped back on my feet," Daniel said. "I’m still probably going to be presented with the opportunity to go to school next year, but the significant delays … waiting for so long, putting off work for so long, it’s a little bit disappointing and frustrating."

Pathways Employment Help Centre had been assisting Daniel and is seeing other clients experiencing the same delays, CEO Ben Cecil said. "Despite our agency’s repeated efforts to obtain clarification, the absence of a definitive decision prevented Reece and other clients from proceeding with their planned training as scheduled," Cecil said. Career Colleges Ontario said the association has heard from member schools that Better Jobs Ontario funding has been paused, but it has not received any formal communication from the government. The association wrote in a statement that it is concerned about any disruption to funding for students attending compliant institutions. "As with OSAP, we are urging the government to restore access to funding for students attending institutions where there are no identified compliance concerns," the statement read. "We continue to advocate for a targeted approach that allows students to access the support they need while maintaining strong accountability across the sector."

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Minister Quinn announced earlier this month that OSAP payments are paused for students at all private post-secondary institutions. That decision followed preliminary audit findings that raised serious concerns about financial aid usage at some career colleges. Nosy Mag reported in October that the OSAP pause left students at private colleges scrambling. Trillium College has suspended classes due to the OSAP pause, citing in a letter to students the uncertainty from that freeze and "the separate funding interruption affecting Better Jobs Ontario-funded students at Trillium College."

When asked recently if Better Jobs Ontario funding was also paused, Quinn's spokesperson, Bianca Giacoboni, provided a brief statement. "Preliminary audit findings point to serious, systemic concerns about OSAP usage at private postsecondary institutions," Giacoboni wrote. "OSAP payments to students at these institutions are paused, and other streams of provincial funding to private institutions past and present are under review." Giacoboni refused to list those other streams of funding.

Interim Ontario Liberal leader John Fraser said the government should be transparent about its actions. "It’s happening," Fraser said. "They know it’s happening and I don’t know why they’re afraid to say it." He said if the government is taking action against another source of funding they should come out and say it.

With files from The Canadian Press, Global News and CityNews