Police in Ontario have opened a formal investigation into a company that received government money, including funds from the controversial skills development fund, after being forwarded the results of an audit by the province.
In November, the Ford government sent the findings of a forensic audit of Keel Digital Solutions to the Ontario Provincial Police after the probe of payments uncovered apparent “irregularities.”
The premier’s office said at the time that a “routine audit” of government money sent to Get A-Head, a business owned by Keel Digital Solutions, had raised red flags.
That had led to the forensic audit, which was then sent to police.
On Monday, a spokesperson for Ontario Provincial Police confirmed officers would be moving forward with a formal investigation.
“The OPP Anti-Rackets Branch has completed its review and will be proceeding with an investigation,” they said in an email. “At this time, we cannot release any details or speculate on how long the investigation will take.”
A spokesperson for Keel Digital Solutions said it “remains steadfast in its assertion that it has complied with all laws and contract obligations.” The spokesperson also said the company looks forward to the results of the OPP investigation and promised it would be “completely transparent and cooperative.”
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“We look forward to the government’s apology at the end of this; and we remain focused on facilitating mental health supports for the province’s most vulnerable communities.”
The premier’s office said its previous statements on the topic stand.
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Keel Digital Solutions has received tens of millions from various ministries since 2021, including from the skills development fund, as well as the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
Keel’s funding through that pot of money came under scrutiny after it was reported Labour Minister David Piccini attended the wedding of a lobbyist the company had hired. Years earlier, he also watched a Toronto Maple Leafs game with a director of the company.
For weeks, the government has been defending its skills development fund, after the auditor general determined the way it was administered was “not fair, transparent or accountable.”
It was money given to Keel Digital Solutions by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, not the skills development fund, that was flagged as part of the audit process.
Keel Digital Solutions has accused the government of discussing the audit to distract from the skills development scandal and trying to shift blame.
“Recent commentary conflates Keel’s separate MCU student mental health contracts with the SDF program,” the company said in one news release. “The OPP referral publicly discussed relates to the MCU file, not SDF.”
Founder Ahad Bandealy accused the government of looking for a way to avoid questions about the skills development fund.
“Somehow, we went from a positive audit findings with a proposed new contract to a referral to the OPP in a criminal investigation,” he wrote in a statement.
“The referral to the OPP is nothing but an effort to make Keel the scapegoat and allow the government to refuse to answer questions on the Skills Development Fund scandal.”
Keel Digital Solutions has also called on the government to release the forensic audit.
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