QUEEN’S PARK – MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner released the following statement following news that the Ford government has referred suspicious OSAP activity at private career colleges to the Auditor General and the OPP.
“For years, this government has allowed private career colleges to abuse the OSAP system despite warnings from within the sector.
Now, we’re learning just how bad things have gotten at private colleges. But instead of holding these bad actors accountable, the government is unfairly punishing students who rely on OSAP to make ends meet.
Young people are struggling to get by in an economy stacked against them. It’s never been harder to get a job and a record number of youth are being forced to choose between a roof and food.
Now more than ever, we should be working to shrink student debt and remove barriers for young people–not sticking them with tens of thousands of dollars of debt.
I am calling on the government to reverse OSAP cuts, take accountability for their own mismanagement of the system and hold bad actors accountable instead of punishing all students.”