Ontario has barred students at five private career college locations from receiving Ontario Student Assistance Program loans next year, escalating concerns about oversight in online programs.
The order covers four Academy of Learning franchise campuses and Citi College of Canadian Careers. It comes as career college students lose access to OSAP grants under an overhaul that will also reduce grants for university and publicly funded college students.
Premier Doug Ford’s government announced $6.4 billion for post-secondary institutions over four years while cutting OSAP spending, citing unsustainability. Yet freedom-of-information data obtained by The Canadian Press showed career college students drove nearly all recent OSAP grant growth.
Employment and Social Development Canada warned current and prospective students at the five Ontario schools and one in New Brunswick, in September, that federal aid could be suspended. The deleted notice became moot after Ontario acted, a federal spokesperson said.
Neither government has detailed its allegations. A court filing made late last month by three schools seeking to quash the decision identifies concerns about asynchronous learning.
“The specific concerns noted with the asynchronous learning programs related to ‘high-risk admissions practices,’ ‘compromised participation in asynchronous programs,’ ‘inadequate attendance tracking,’ and ‘deficient academic progress monitoring,’” the schools wrote.
“At a high level, the concerns were centred around whether the persons enrolled in the program were consistently the persons who were completing the coursework.”
Corporations operating Academy of Learning locations in Brampton, North Toronto and downtown Toronto say those issues are common across asynchronous post-secondary programs. They argue their controls and course design serve working adults, newcomers, people with family responsibilities and others needing flexibility.
The applicants contend the minister can withdraw OSAP eligibility during an academic year, but cannot deny it before a school applies for the next year. They say one campus failed a September 2025 OSAP inspection, two received similar reports in March, and all filed corrective plans on time.
Citi director Jaidev Chakravarty said the college has trained thousands over several decades and will keep addressing labour-market, student and employer needs. He said Citi is in talks with Ontario but may pursue legal remedies to preserve program access.
Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn’s spokesperson, Bianca Giacoboni, said Ontario uses a compliance framework.
“Should any institution fail to comply, we will not hesitate to hold them accountable and take swift action to protect hard-working Ontario taxpayers and students,” she said.
Career Colleges Ontario said most schools meet requirements and deliver high-quality education. Spokesperson Taylor Buck said non-compliance endangers students, damages public confidence and unfairly taints ethical operators. With students depending on OSAP and employers relying on graduates for critical jobs, Buck called clear rules, consistent oversight and effective enforcement essential.
Abhishek Kaul
Parvasi Media Group, with inputs from CP
