Ontario's Private College Scandal: Hundreds of Tips, OSAP Ban, and Shocking Allegations

Ontario's Private Career College Sector Under Fire

Ontario government received over 220 tips and complaints about three private career colleges in just 2.5 years, according to court documents. The allegations? Recruiters filling out financial aid applications and completing coursework on students' behalf, and using the province's student aid program as a marketing tool.

Skyrocketing Applications and Suspicious IP Addresses

At Academy of Learning Career College campuses in the Greater Toronto Area, OSAP applications surged. Court documents allege that thousands of applications came from a small number of IP addresses—a red flag for third-party submissions, which violates program rules.

• North York campus: 3,460 OSAP applications for 2025-26 (57% of total) from a single IP address.
• Brampton East campus: 52% of applications from one IP address.
• Downtown Toronto campus: 25% from one IP address.

These allegations are detailed in two Aug. 10 memos confirming the franchises won't be eligible for OSAP in 2026-27.

Province-Wide OSAP Freeze

In early October, Minister Nolan Quinn froze OSAP payments to all private postsecondary institutions, blindsiding tens of thousands of students. The move aimed to safeguard the financial aid program after suspicious activity at six GTA private colleges.

"The move was necessary to safeguard the integrity of the financial aid program." – Minister Nolan Quinn

Investigation and Legal Battle

The ministry brought in KPMG to examine the sector, leading to serious concerns and a referral to the Ontario Provincial Police. The Academy of Learning franchises (Brampton East, North York, Bay Street) were among six schools flagged and cut off from OSAP in May.

The schools applied for a judicial review, denying wrongdoing and implementing corrective action plans overseen by an independent compliance monitor. However, the monitor struggled to verify the identity of 100 OSAP-funded students:

• 44 showed international IP activity on Canvas (online learning platform).
• 50 had more than 10 IP addresses accessing their accounts.
• Only 9 completed interviews; most didn't answer or hung up.

One note read: "Picked up and constantly beating around the bush, does not understand English well... did not want to co-operate."

Confidential Settlement and Final Rejection

A confidential settlement on July 30 led to a fresh review, but on Aug. 10, the ministry decided not to renew OSAP status. Memos showed massive enrollment increases:

• Bay Street campus: 1,387 OSAP students (2022-23) → 7,429 (2024-25) – 436% increase.
• Brampton East: 766 → 4,253 – 455% increase.

Enrollment plummeted the following year.

Allegations Unproven in Court

The schools' COO, Chamara Perera, argued they can't respond to third-party complaints without details. He suggested the IP patterns could be due to new safeguards requiring in-person interviews and on-campus application completion. The ministry countered that the patterns predated those policies.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

This story is developing and highlights the need for vigilance in career college choices. Always verify a school's OSAP eligibility and reputation.