Ineligible OSAP payments up 800% since 2020 as misrepresentation investigations rise - BERITAJA

The number of group misrepresenting themselves to get student grants and loans successful Ontario has risen dramatically successful caller years, though it continues to beryllium a fraction of the costs handed retired by the government.

New documents obtained by BERITAJA utilizing state of accusation laws show the full worth of ineligible student finance payments successful Ontario accrued by much than 800 per cent.

Back successful 2020, the authorities investigated 173 Ontario Student Assistance Program issues, concluding $887,553 had been issued that shouldn’t person been.

The fig changeable up drastically to 909 investigations successful 2025 for $11.6 million. Once those investigations concluded, they recovered $8.3 cardinal had been issued to group who were ineligible.

Those broadly screen misrepresentations alternatively than fraud, which would impact a criminal investigation. Misrepresentations could beryllium deliberate — which would require contiguous repayment — aliases mistaken, successful which lawsuit the authorities would activity repayments complete a longer period.

Ineligible OSAP backing issued:

• 2020: $887,553
• 2021: $700,070
• 2022: $606,550
• 2023: $2,220,992
• 2024: $4,719,310
• 2025: $8,332,363

The authorities said nary fraud had been referred to the constabulary successful the past 2 years.

“We person a robust model successful spot to protect OSAP from fraudulent use, and we are implementing caller exertion and exploring different avenues to fortify the program’s integrity,” a spokesperson for Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security Nolan Quinn wrote successful a statement.

“Higher acquisition is an finance students make successful themselves, their community, and their future. With OSAP’s caller framework, our authorities will beryllium capable to support supporting our students’ finance for galore years to come.”

While the cases of OSAP misrepresentation are comparatively high, they’re a fraction of the full student loans issued, a fig approaching $2 billion.

“I deliberation erstwhile you look astatine for illustration 1 per cent and the truth location weren’t moreover immoderate charges, it is really a very mini number,” Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said.

“I deliberation the authorities has utilized it arsenic an excuse to contradict truthful galore students the opportunity to person support for post-secondary education.”

Earlier this year, the Ford authorities introduced an overhaul to student finance — moving the accent from grants to loans, saying the existing strategy was unsustainable.

As portion of a awesome betterment for the assemblage — which besides included billions successful caller backing and a tuition summation — the premier lamented anecdotal examples of students making flashy purchases.

The premier told reporters successful February he had “heard immoderate nightmare stories” about students who were “going retired location buying fancy watches and cologne and not needing it.”

He later doubled down connected the comments, telling reporters it is “not a God-given correct to return taxpayers’ money. It’s a God-given correct to get your assemblage grade and university.”

The examples the premier many times cited successful February, however, aren’t really fraud.

The authorities clarified they wouldn’t beryllium captured successful figures for OSAP misrepresentation, fraud aliases ineligible payments because, arsenic agelong arsenic students are eligible and make their payments, location aren’t rules stopping them from buying bully apparel aliases costly watches.

Ontario Liberal MPP Tyler Watt said it was hypocritical for Ford, who precocious bought and returned a backstage jet, to remark connected really students walk their money.

“The hypocrisy is unbelievable,” he said successful a statement.

“This is the aforesaid premier who cried about students allegedly buying cologne while spending $29 cardinal of payer money connected a luxury jet.”