OSAP, affordability questions likely to dominate as Queen’s Park resumes sitting

TORONTO — Provincial politicians are returning to the Ontario legislature Tuesday for the first time in 21 weeks with some new faces thanks to three byelections, a rejigged cabinet and a new cloud of scandal hanging over the government’s head.

The spotlight in question period is expected to largely focus on Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn, who is under fire for his government’s handling of Ontario Student Assistance Program payments to career colleges.

Provincial OSAP grants to career colleges nearly doubled from 2023-24 to the next year, when the amount hit almost $1 billion. Data obtained by The Canadian Press through a freedom-of-information request points to larger-than-usual increases at some schools.

That includes seven whose approximately $385 million in OSAP grants in 2024-25 matched the amount that went to students at all publicly funded colleges in the province.

The industry’s association, Career Colleges Ontario, began warning the government of what they allege were suspicious usage patterns at a small number of schools in 2023, but it wasn’t until May of this year that the government banned six schools from OSAP eligibility.

Quinn’s office says it regularly reviews complaints and monitors OSAP activity, and expanded its reviews in May 2025 when it received warnings about usage at a few schools from the federal government.

Quinn has since engaged KPMG to conduct an audit of the sector and referred the matter to the Ontario Provincial Police, but critics say the ministry should have taken action long ago.

Now part of Quinn’s solution is making matters worse, critics say. Not only did Quinn drastically reduce the amount of grants that students at universities and publicly funded colleges can receive in the face of rising OSAP usage driven primarily by a few career colleges, he has now also paused OSAP payments to all students at career colleges and other private post-secondary institutions until 2027.

It is leading many of those students to scramble to figure out how to pay their living expenses while they study, in addition to the tuition that OSAP was supposed to cover.

The Liberals plan to go hard at Quinn on OSAP with the legislature back in session.

“It still shocks me what’s happening to people out there because of the mess up with OSAP and this government’s failure to act over three years,” interim Liberal leader John Fraser said.

“It is causing so much hardship and so much hurt that we can’t ignore it.”

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said Quinn has a lot to answer for.

“Nolan Quinn and the Ford government cut OSAP, and we also know that they mismanaged the way in which private colleges use the OSAP program, and it should be those private colleges that pay the price for that, not the students,” he said.

“So we are calling on this government reverse the cuts to OSAP and have the backs of students.”

Affordability is another key priority for the Greens during this six-week sitting, Schreiner said. They plan to introduce a motion calling for a wealth tax on the ultra rich.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles said she also plans to focus on the cost of living.

“The reality right now for most people out there in Ontario is life is just deeply unaffordable,” she said. “People are concerned about the state of our health-care system and the state of our economy, and I think we’re going to be speaking about all of those issues.”

The government will likely also face questions on nursing jobs that are being cut at hospitals across the province, funding to help tariff-affected industries, and potential looming showdowns with teachers, who will take strike votes next month.

Three new faces will enter the legislature after a set of September byelections: Progressive Conservative Jeff Beattie for Hamilton East–Stoney Creek, Progressive Conservative Susan Lahey for York–Simcoe, and New Democrat Fatima Shaban for Scarborough Southwest.

The most prominent cabinet positions are unchanged from when the legislature last sat in June, but Premier Doug Ford did make several moves in a shuffle last month.

Those include a move from Labour to Infrastructure for David Piccini, who is under investigation by the integrity commissioner after the auditor general raised questions about his handling of the $2.5-billion Skills Development Fund.

It is not known when the long-awaited report from the integrity commissioner will be published, but if it comes before the legislature rises in December for its winter break, it could knock the government off its preferred messages on the economy and infrastructure.

The government is focused this session on cutting red tape, protecting workers, and keeping costs low for businesses and families, a spokesperson for Ford said.

“As the world faces economic uncertainty caused by tariffs, our government is relentlessly focused on delivering on our plan to protect Ontario by building a more competitive, resilient, and self-reliant economy for future generations,” Hannah Jensen wrote in a statement.

The first week of the sitting is set to be a busy one, with the fall economic statement – a mini-budget of sorts – to be tabled on Thursday. As well, Quinn has indicated that he will table legislation to exclude predominantly online programs at career colleges from OSAP eligibility.

The Ford government first extended OSAP eligibility to those programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, then later made it permanent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2026.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press