Given the AG's findings that approved projects were hand-picked by the Minister's office, and the insider connections between the Labour Minister and Career Colleges Ontario, there are legitimate questions about SDF projects involving private career colleges.
#onPSE #onlab #onpoli #SaveOurColleges
While starving our public colleges of funding, this government is forcing public colleges to compete with private colleges for Skills Development Funds, through a process the Auditor General called “not fair, transparent or accountable." #onPSE #onlab #onpoli #SaveOurColleges
Ford is literally selling Ontario’s education to his ultra-rich friends.
Education money should stay in education, not in private, well connected companies.
We demand stricter oversight, transparency, and accountability now.
#onpoli #oned #Accountability #WorkersFirst #VoteFordOut #SaveOurColleges
Every tax dollar from this Ford Slush Development Fund needs to go back to finding Ontario's post-secondary institutions. Ford government keeps stealing our money!!!
#SaveOurColleges
@opseusefpo.bsky.social
www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/poli...
CTV News article title: Millions in Skills Development Fund grants went to Ontario PC donors, fuelling claims it’s a ‘slush fund’ By Jon Woodward Updated: October 02, 2025 at 9:45PM EDT Published: October 02, 2025 at 7:22PM EDT
Opposition parties are crying foul over a growing list of companies that have received grants from a multi-billion-dollar Ontario government fund, and whose directors or executives have also made sizable political donations to the governing Progressive Conservative party. The ire comes a day after a bombshell Auditor General report revealed that political staff sidestepped the opinion of non-partisan bureaucrats to hand out around $750 million in grants from the Skills Development Fund (SDF) to applicants of their choosing.
Ontario colleges would like their 750 million now, please.
#SaveOurColleges
I mean, the OPP couldn’t have possibly known ahead of time that Georgian might have to close and sell off their Orillia campus, right? But it must be super convenient for them. #SaveOurColleges #OPSEU
Ford government’s handling of Skills Development funds ‘not fair, transparent or accountable,’ auditor finds In a critical audit, Shelley Spence said Ford’s Ministry of Labour awarded money to “low- and medium-ranked applications” from the controversial fund.
Spence’s audit comes as the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) has accused the premier of “diverting training money” from struggling community colleges to private companies. “It’s a system that operates in the dark. Taxpayers — who fund these programs — have almost no reliable information about how much that money is spent, what projects are funded to do, and what the results of those programs are,” it warned in a 13-page report released in September
“I stand behind the Skills Development Fund — it’s already changed lives,” the minister said. But NDP Leader Marit Stiles said “this looks like corruption” because the Tories “used this multibillion-dollar fund to exchange favours with insiders and hand out cash to the same folks that we see popping up over and over and over again.” Stiles is now planning to file a formal complaint with the integrity commissioner on the matter. Liberal House Leader John Fraser said “it’s not fair” to Ontario’s 700,000 unemployed people that such favouritism is shown in funding skills training. “It’s a racket. It smells like the Greenbelt,” said Fraser, referring to Ford’s $8.28-billion land swap scandal now being investigated by the RCMP. Green Leader Mike Schreiner contended “wealthy, well-connected insiders are making off like bandits” from the “slush fund.”
In one instance an “organization had been active for only three years with no governing board” and “no experience managing public monies and the accompanying data collection” that “presented an inflated budget with no quotes provided for capital expenditures” was chosen by the labour minister to receive $4 million for one year after requesting $6 million. “The application was ranked ‘low’ with a score of 47 per cent. The minister’s office selected the application … The project subsequently had compliance issues with its TPA (transfer payment agreement) requirements, including missed targets, failing to meet on-site monitoring requirements, incomplete participant activity reports and late or missing project activity submissions.”
Ford's friends are stealing our tax $ again with his help. Don't tell me there isn't $ for our post-secondary institutions. Ford government would rather enrich their connections than invest in Ontarians and their communities. #SaveOurColleges
The College Employer Council (CEC) has asked for $1.3B in emergency funding to stop a crisis. Queens Park /Doug Ford has instead frozen funding at pre-2019 levels, and, written $2.5B in cheques to privatize workforce & academic education.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
#SaveOurColleges
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I support the union of full-time support staff at Ontario colleges who striking for better working conditions, better learning conditions, and a better future for Ontario’s students and college graduates. Solidarity. We are the horses! #saveourcolleges
BUFA Executive stands in solidarity with @OPSEU, joining the picket lines at the Niagara College (Welland campus) today.
BUFA Executive stands in solidarity with @OPSEU, joining the picket lines at the Niagara College (Welland campus) today.
@OPSEU members walking the picket line today at Niagara College (Welland campus).
BUFA Executive stands in solidarity with @OPSEU, joining the picket lines at the Niagara College (Welland campus) today.
@bufa.bsky.social Executive stands in #solidarity with @opseusefpo.bsky.social! #onpse #StrikeSupport #SaveOurColleges
Support Staff in Ontario’s colleges are now on strike for better conditions and better wages. A better education system for all. Solidarity. ✊👊 #saveourcolleges
College workers play a crucial role in the education & training of young people.
At a time youth unemployment is at a historical high, this strike has broad economic implications for Ontario.
@CCPA_Ont's latest analysis #onted #onpoli #saveourcolleges
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
I was proud to stand with striking OPSEU college support staff at Fanshawe College today.
#onpoli #onpse #SaveOurColleges
As Ontario’s public colleges face an unprecedented crisis, College Support Staff are now on strike. The Ontario NDP stands in solidarity with these workers as they fight for the future of our province.
Read my full statement below.
#onpoli #onpse #SaveOurColleges
More than 10,000 college workers are on strike, and it’s barely making the news. The Ford government is working hard to dismantle colleges and sell them off to his buddies. Privatizing education is never a good idea. Wake up, Ontario! #OPSEU #SaveOurColleges #CollegeStrike
Join the fight! 💪 #SaveOurColleges
TODAY. Don't want to sign up but looking for a demo near you? Heres where we'll be in Toronto!
Centennial: 941 Progress Avenue
George Brown: 160 Kendal Avenue
Seneca: 1750 Finch Avenue East
Humber: 205 Humber College Boulevard AND 2 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive #OnPoli #SaveOurColleges
Dear fellow Ontarians, your money is being STOLLEN by Doug Ford and given to his cronies.
Here is a video explainer summary of what is currently happening in the Ontario public college system ... and it isn't pretty:
www.instagram.com/reel/DOYxvPG...
#stopthesteal #corruption #saveourcolleges
Ontario! Show your solidarity with the college support staff, and show the Ford government that we stand together as a community against this pilfering of our education system. Join the practice picket in your area this Wednesday. Sign up: docs.google.com/forms/d/11OX...
#OnPoli #SaveOurColleges
We’ve been told a story about our college system in “crisis” for a long time – but a story is only as true as it is complete. The real story is about stealing. Resources getting sucked out of our communities – all in a scheme to buy votes and endorsements by subsidizing private companies with your public dollars. Ford is gutting public education, stealing taxpayer money from our colleges and replacing a full education with 6-12 week knock-off programs that won’t make our kids employable anywhere else. It’s selling off their future to the employer that trains them – creating the next generation of company towns. It’s the exact same model disastrously rolled out in Australia, which exploded into a debt crisis. We are watching an accelerated agenda to gut public education and privatize post-secondary education for good – a project Doug Ford will complete by the end of this term. If that happens, we can all kiss our jobs goodbye. The 10,000 jobs cuts across the system, plus 650 programs shuttered to students, we’ve seen already are just the beginning.
![The seeds of today’s college “crisis” were planted in 2019, when the Ford government split the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities in two.
On one side, colleges and universities, and on the other, a new Ministry of Training and Skills Development.
Having a second ministry in place also charged with job training served two purposes:
1. Creating a privatized training ecosystem that could duplicate and compete with colleges for funding;
2. Creating a pool of money – which would grow to $2.5 billion in committed funds by 2025 – that could be spent to fulfill Ford’s personal and political goals.
In 2020, Doug Ford set up a fund dedicated to “non-college training providers, businesses, and associations training apprentices” – what would become the Skills Development Fund.
By 2021, a report by the Auditor General already warned that the Ford government had failed to develop “a strategic plan for the [college] sector to help mitigate the risk of a sudden decline in international students.”
But by that time, Ford was busy with a new project: rolling back support for outcome-driven colleges which have graduated countless proud workers, in favour of a new system.
It’s a system that operates in the dark. Unlike our colleges, which are subject to reporting, there is virtually no public data available on the funding, training goals, or outcomes of SDF-funded projects.
The SDF is an expensive experiment – a black box slush fund.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:oprnt34k4xvq4evfjs3lctkw/bafkreigzdcvobkuxtvsrjqolxxskqvavagwnehjofqthv2fwaiufqlh7ti)
The seeds of today’s college “crisis” were planted in 2019, when the Ford government split the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities in two. On one side, colleges and universities, and on the other, a new Ministry of Training and Skills Development. Having a second ministry in place also charged with job training served two purposes: 1. Creating a privatized training ecosystem that could duplicate and compete with colleges for funding; 2. Creating a pool of money – which would grow to $2.5 billion in committed funds by 2025 – that could be spent to fulfill Ford’s personal and political goals. In 2020, Doug Ford set up a fund dedicated to “non-college training providers, businesses, and associations training apprentices” – what would become the Skills Development Fund. By 2021, a report by the Auditor General already warned that the Ford government had failed to develop “a strategic plan for the [college] sector to help mitigate the risk of a sudden decline in international students.” But by that time, Ford was busy with a new project: rolling back support for outcome-driven colleges which have graduated countless proud workers, in favour of a new system. It’s a system that operates in the dark. Unlike our colleges, which are subject to reporting, there is virtually no public data available on the funding, training goals, or outcomes of SDF-funded projects. The SDF is an expensive experiment – a black box slush fund.
By 2023/2024, the Ford government covered only 25% of college operating expenses – while other provinces fund about 60% of public colleges’ operating expenses. The Ford government has increased spending on private training by 800% since 2020 – an amount far beyond what the government’s own expert Blue Ribbon Panel says is needed to restore funding for colleges. Amongst hundreds of SDF recipients, and what data is publicly available, we’ve seen larger sums awarded to only a few hands: ● $11.1 million to Scale Hospitality Group, 2023-2025; ● $10 million to Agnico Eagle Mines, 2024; ● $10 million to Ontario Shipyards Inc, 2024; ● $5.5 million to Canadian Niagara Hotels, 2023-2024. The SDF grants to these four private businesses alone are big enough to fund a small public college for a year. In 2024, five of Ontario’s public colleges received $25 million or less in provincial funding transfers.
This is the letter from OPSEU President JP Hornick today about the state of education on Ontario. The Ford government is taking money from our kids and our future. #OnPoli #SaveOurColleges
More cuts announced at Conestoga College "to maintain the future financial viability of the college" while President John Tibbits' take home salary last year was $640,005.41, a 29% increase from 2023! #shame #saveourcolleges #conestogacollege
Here's more coverage on yesterday's rally
#saveourcolleges #belleville #loyalistcollege @opseusefpo.bsky.social
We had a great rally yesterday at @loyalistcollege.bsky.social - did you hear us? #belleville #loyalistcollege #saveourcolleges @opseusefpo.bsky.social
A man in sunglasses smiling while wearing a red visor and a grey t-shirt, standing in front of other people who are also wearing the same grey t-shirt, which has “OPSEU Region 5 Labour Day 2025” printed in white lettering, all taking part in Toronto’s Labour Day Parade 2025 on September 1
A blue wrist band with the words “Labour Day Parade Participation - Monday, September 1st, 2025” printed in black
Took part in Toronto’s Labour Day Parade earlier today alongside many of my fellow #OPSEU members to #SaveOurColleges, as well as many other members from unions representing other professions and sectors
This was my first time participating in a #LabourDay parade, highly recommend
Solidarity ✊🏼
It's looks OPSEU will be mobilizing colleges across Ontario to vote for striking against Doug Ford's failures to fund post-sec education. The Ontario government is in denial of a crisis; OPSEU say the goal is college collapse for privatization.
Support 🇨🇦 Colleges!
#saveourcolleges
"one of the largest mass layoffs in Ontario’s history"
Ontarians are losing "programs we domestically need, programs like nursing, child and youth care, environmental technologies, specialized art training that is not offered anywhere else"
#SaveOurColleges
www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/loca...
The Ontario college system is in crisis. The time to come together is NOW.
Join us Wed, June 25th at 7:00 p.m. for an Emergency Town Hall on how exactly we’re going to #saveourcolleges
REGISTER HERE: opseu-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
opseu.org/saveourcolle...
#opseu #saveourcolleges #opseuconvention2025
Sign the petition! Our colleges are our future!
