Pause on OSAP at private post-secondary institutions to stay in effect until new year
Written by The Canadian Press on October 20, 2026
TORONTO — Ontario’s colleges and universities minister says a pause on student financial assistance payments across all private post-secondary institutions will stay in effect until at least the new year.
Nolan Quinn says in a late afternoon statement that the government has not yet finished setting up a new system for validating career colleges and other private post-secondary institutions and expects that to be ready in the new year.
He says Ontario Student Assistance Program payments will not resume at those institutions until the new process is in place.
Quinn tasked KPMG with an audit of the sector in August and said earlier this month that preliminary findings raised serious enough concerns that he has referred the matter to the Ontario Provincial Police.
The ministry investigators launched in-person inspections last week at eight career colleges.
Career Colleges Ontario, students and institutions including divinity schools and Canada’s National Ballet School have decried the government’s broad approach of pausing OSAP at all private post-secondary schools, but Quinn’s office has said there is evidence of systemic issues.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2026.
Allison Jones, The Canadian Press