Ontario Government Withholds Records Amid OPP Investigation into Skills Development Fund Scandal Ontario government ministries are refusing to release records related to Keel Digital Solutions, a company embroiled in the Skills Development Fund scandal, citing interference with an ongoing OPP investigation. The controversy involves allegations of fraud and misuse of over $100 million in public funds, with Labour Minister David Piccini and other officials facing scrutiny for their ties to the company. Ontario government ministries are withholding records tied to Keel Digital Solutions, a company at the center of a scandal involving the Progressive Conservatives' Skills Development Fund (SDF). The refusal to release documents is based on claims that doing so could disrupt an ongoing police investigation. Keel Digital Solutions gained prominence in the SDF controversy after Labour Minister David Piccini attended the wedding of the company’s longtime lobbyist in Paris in early October. Prior to this, Piccini’s office had granted $7.5 million from his ministry’s main grant program to Get A-Head, a subsidiary of Keel.In early November, the provincial government received findings from a forensic audit of tens of millions of dollars paid by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) to Get A-Head for providing mental health care services to post-secondary students via its digital platform. Shortly after the audit was completed, the government referred the matter to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).Since the OPP’s involvement, Ford government officials, including multiple ministers whose departments had paid millions to Get A-Head, have largely avoided answering questions from reporters and opposition MPPs about the company, citing the ongoing investigation. The OPP confirmed in early December that its anti-rackets branch had launched an investigation into Get A-Head based on the audit.In early January, the Ford government filed a lawsuit against Get A-Head, Keel, and several of their executives, alleging fraud based on the audit’s findings. Keel and its executives have denied these claims and filed countersuits. Over $100 million in public funds could be at stake in the legal battle. Since December, four provincial ministries have refused to disclose records related to Get A-Head or Keel in response to freedom of information requests (FOIs) from The Trillium.These ministries have relied on Section 14 of the FOI law, which permits the government to withhold records if their release could interfere with a law enforcement matter. In some cases, ministries initially indicated they would release the records but later reversed their decisions. The Ford government’s recent amendments to Ontario’s FOI law did not affect Section 14.The ministries have denied access to the audit sent to the OPP, as well as various other documents, including contracts with Get A-Head, communications between Keel’s executives and government officials, procurement files, and other records created by public servants. The Trillium is appealing some of these decisions to pursue certain records.Meanwhile, the provincial government has released numerous records related to its Greenbelt removals since the RCMP confirmed an investigation based on them. When asked about the blanket denials of FOIs related to Keel, a spokesperson for the premier’s office stated, “The organization you reference is currently under Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigation for defrauding the government of nearly $26 million. ” The spokesperson added, “The law enforcement exemptions applied are critical to protecting the integrity of the OPP investigation.” Keel’s executives have countered that the Ford government is using their company as a shield from criticism over the Skills Development Fund. Keel became central to the SDF controversy as it escalated last fall. The Ford government established the SDF in 2021 to fund training and other initiatives supporting workers, and it became one of the Progressive Conservatives’ flagship programs. By last fall, Ford had described the SDF as “the best investment we’ve ever done in the province.” By then, Piccini and his predecessor had, with their staff, selected hundreds of groups to receive over $1.3 billion in taxpayer-funded grants through the SDF’s training stream. In early October, Ontario’s auditor general released a report on the SDF, stating that the selection of recipients by successive labour ministers’ offices was “not fair, transparent or accountable. ” A few weeks earlier, The Trillium had begun reporting on various connections between SDF recipients and Ford government or PC figures