Christian schools denied OSAP by province

After news broke in early October that the Ontario government would pause OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program) payments to private post-secondary institutions in an attempt to “restore integrity” to the system, two major Christian higher education institutions were left reeling.

Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College, a Catholic liberal arts college in Barry's Bay, Ont., and the interdenominational Christian Redeemer University in Hamilton, found themselves lumped in with the provinces’ private career colleges, many of which have been linked to fraudulent OSAP loans.

Prior to Oct. 17, Patrick Craine, president of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College, said students were expecting a delay in approvals and payments to be resolved before Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn’s confirmation through a media release that their education was no longer open to OSAP funds. 

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The measure was introduced in response to corruption through potential program misuse, fraud and verification issues allegedly involving private career colleges, namely multiple sites of Academy of Learning Career College and Citi College of Canadian Careers. All told, the Ontario government has temporarily paused or frozen OSAP funding province-wide across all 242 private career colleges.

Our Lady Seat of Wisdom is not a private career college, but a private educational institution, with Craine confirming the Ontario government has included it, and similar institutions such as Redeemer University, in the frozen group.

Speaking to The Catholic Register, both Craine and Shannon McBride,  spokesperson for Redeemer University, remain confused and frustrated in the wake of the government’s ruling. 

“The government, unfortunately, is not providing a lot of information to us beyond the two press releases they have issued on Oct. 6 and Oct. 20. They began an audit of private career colleges in the summer, and we have heard that there was some openness initially to separate out so-called 'low risk' institutions. However, they ultimately chose to treat the whole private post-secondary sector in an undifferentiated way despite the clear differences in organizational structures and regulatory frameworks,” Craine said. 

“Unfortunately, this pause has been applied to Redeemer University (as well) even though (Redeemer) is not a private career college. It is a provincially chartered, not-for-profit university with its own degree-granting legislation as an accredited member of Universities Canada in good standing since 1985, and has consistently passed OSAP audits with high standards,” McBride said. 

Both continued to share how the immediate impact is not simply a matter of unpaid tuition as a barrier to Christian-based higher education, but an oversight that brings uncertainty to students around housing, food, continued enrollment and the ability to finish degrees.

More than half of Redeemer’s 1,150 students were confirmed to have been eligible for OSAP, many committed to their studies and living arrangements with “the expectation that the funding that has existed for decades would come,” with upwards of 20 per cent of students at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom having been affected by the suspension. 

While calls for correction of the administrative misclassification continue in the background, both institutions have begun seeking ways to support their students, many of whom are looking for answers themselves. 

From the beginning of the year, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom has been deferring payments for students affected by the OSAP pause, and on Oct. 19, Craine announced to the community that the school will be deferring the OSAP portion of payments for the fall and winter semesters, if it becomes necessary. 

He also assured students that an outstanding balance that results from the government’s decision will not prevent them from registering for the winter semester or from graduating in May.

“This, of course, puts a significant burden on our institutional finances. We are weathering this for the time being by drawing on emergency reserves, but we will not be able to continue this for too long. We are currently exploring externally supported student loan programs and bursary initiatives,” Craine said. 

Such payment deferrals, as well as Redeemer’s proactive measures in delaying payment deadlines for OSAP-eligible students, have sheltered a number of students from the immediate pain of the situation. The main challenge now, Craine believes, is the stress of uncertainty. 

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“We do have some off-campus students affected as well who have been forced to take emergency measures to cover rent and food. Some students have contemplated not returning in January. Despite our efforts to support them, I believe we will likely lose students,” he said. 

McBride wrote of a similar reality happening in Hamilton. 

“The OSAP pause has put considerable stress and uncertainty on students, their families and the university, and an extended delay means that some students are unable to pay rent, purchase groceries or cover transportation and textbooks. Some may face eviction,” she said. 

Redeemer University has also ensured that a food pantry, needs-based bursaries and an interest-free loan program for off-campus students have been established, while comprehensive supports, including chaplaincy and mental health counselling, continue to be made available to care for students navigating financial stress. 

As both institutions are making essentially the same argument, Ontario's effort to protect the integrity of OSAP has affected non-profit, degree-granting Christian institutions with established records of compliance; the response from the province has not been welcoming. 

“The communication we have on this is what the Ministry stated in its Oct. 20 press release, which suggests no willingness at this stage to differentiate, and indicates that there will be no movement until some time next semester. This is very distressing,” Craine said. 

Still, SWC is urging its supporters to write to their MPPs, Premier Doug Ford and other government leaders, using a letter template provided by Craine, as well as organizing a novena to St. Joseph that began on Oct. 19, asking the community to pray for the college and its students.

Redeemer also continues to actively advocate with provincial leaders to correct the issue immediately and release funds to eligible students. 

For both SWC and Redeemer, next steps are even greater than a mere restoration of financial stability. Craine and McBride spoke to how their Christian missions are central to their work, and that protecting students’ ability to pursue higher education is essential to continuing that mission.

Both maintain that students attending established, provincially authorized degree-granting institutions should not lose access to financial assistance because of alleged misconduct at unrelated private career colleges. But as that very pause continues, the consequences could extend beyond finances, leaving students facing difficult decisions about whether they can afford to remain seekers of higher education entirely. 

Perhaps the most important similarity the two institutions now share is their unwavering support for their students, driven by prayer, as they continue to push for higher education opportunities for everyone. 

“Redeemer exists to prepare students to reflect the love of Jesus Christ in every career and calling. This mission is at the forefront of everything we do and will continue to drive us forward as we trust God for a resolution that serves His purposes and glory,” McBride said. 

Craine echoed that shared mission with a call to action to all supporters of Catholic education. 

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 “We need to keep the lights on. We need to meet payroll, but economic considerations are not what drives us as an institution. We only exist because of prayer and the incredible and sustained sacrifices of our community, especially our faculty and staff. This clearly differentiates us from for-profit career colleges that have already suspended classes or shut down,” he said.

“As a Catholic apostolate, we trust in divine providence and the generosity of our supporters to see us through this challenge, and we firmly believe that what we are doing is essential to the mission of the Church in this country. I believe that the Catholic community will stand with us and our students and help us through it, and I would beg your readers to visit our website and consider supporting us in the midst of this challenge.”

A version of this article appeared in the November 01, 2026 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "Christian schools denied OSAP by province".