Full Breakdown
Ontario Career College Halts Classes Amid Province-Wide OSAP Freeze
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Suspension of Academic Operations
Trillium College, a private career college with campuses in St. Catharines, Kingston, Oshawa, Sudbury and Cobourg, announced that it has paused both classroom and online instruction. The suspension was communicated to students in a notice confirmed by The Canadian Press and took effect as of Friday. The college said continuing normal operations without OSAP funding would jeopardize program completion and is using the pause to restructure schedules, staffing and payment arrangements.
Background to the OSAP Pause
Ontario’s Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn announced earlier this month that payments from the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) to all private post-secondary institutions are on hold while an audit is conducted. The pause follows a policy change made during the COVID-19 pandemic that expanded OSAP eligibility to include online and asynchronous programs; the change was later made permanent. Quinn’s office indicated that many concerns stem from online-only programs and that legislation will be introduced this fall to make such programs ineligible for OSAP again.
Official Statements & Responses
Bianca Giacoboni, a senior official in the minister’s office, said the government recognizes the impact of the pause on students and is developing low-interest, third-party loan options facilitated by financial institutions. The minister’s office added that the pause is intended to protect taxpayer dollars and hold “bad actors” accountable, while the government continues to explore alternative financing solutions. Career Colleges Ontario, representing private career schools, warned that suspicious OSAP usage has been reported at a few colleges and called for more targeted measures rather than a blanket suspension.
Data & Statistics
Freedom-of-information data obtained by The Canadian Press show that OSAP usage at Trillium’s campuses rose 64 % between the 2021-22 and 2024-25 academic years, a comparatively modest increase. In contrast, some private institutions have experienced usage spikes of several hundred percent, with a few exceeding 1,000 % over the same period. Earlier this year, six colleges were denied OSAP eligibility; Trillium was not among them.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We recognize the impact that this pause is having on students and are working to develop options for low-interest, third-party loans facilitated by financial institutions to support students through this period of transition,” — Bianca Giacoboni
- “Evidence of systemic issues that have compromised the integrity of the OSAP system left our government with no choice but to pause OSAP payments to all private institutions to protect taxpayer dollars and hold bad actors accountable,” — Bianca Giacoboni