Overview
- OPP anti‑rackets officers are reviewing a government‑ordered forensic audit of Keel Digital Solutions to decide whether to open a criminal investigation.
- Keel denies wrongdoing, demands the audit be released, says $8.33 million in payments have been withheld since April, and reports more than two dozen layoffs.
- Ontario’s auditor general found $1.3 billion in Skills Development Fund grants were not awarded in a fair, transparent or accountable way, with many lower‑scoring projects approved and 64 of them having hired lobbyists.
- After earlier acknowledging he selected lower‑scoring applications, Labour Minister David Piccini said Tuesday the deputy minister has final say and could deselect high‑risk projects, shifting responsibility to the civil service.
- Despite a 2023 audit that raised concerns, Keel continued receiving provincial funds in 2024‑25 — about $12.7 million from Colleges and Universities, $1.8 million from Health and $2.3 million from the Skills Development Fund — as opposition parties pushed for resignations and broader forensic reviews.