ANALYSIS | A minister under fire, alleged lobbyist connections: What to know about the latest Queen's Park controversy | CBC News

"Calls for a minister to resign. Accusations of cozy connections between lobbyists and the Ford government. And now a forensic audit handed over to the Ontario Provincial Police for possible investigation. The latest scandal at Queen's Park revolves around the Skills Development Fund a little known pocket of government grants to help train workers. The Opposition has been demanding Minister David Piccini be fired over his handling of the fund. The province's auditor general has also been critical of how the government is using it."

"In early October, Auditor General Shelley Spence issued a special report with damning findings on how $1.3 billion in the fund was awarded. Calling the process troubling," she said Ontario has not been fair, or transparent or accountable when it comes to evaluating applications. Here's a snapshot of what she found: More than half of the projects Minister Piccini's office gave funding to were ranked by bureaucrats as poor, low or medium against the program's goals and criteria."

"Those projects received about $742 million over the first five rounds of funding. The auditor also found that 64 low- and medium-ranked projects that Piccini's office chose for funding had hired registered lobbyists, noting that fact could create the appearance of real or preferential treatment. Similar programs in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador do not have ministers' offices making specific funding decisions."

Ontario's Skills Development Fund provides grants to organizations to address hiring, training and retraining challenges for workers. Auditor General Shelley Spence issued a special report finding troubling practices in the awarding of $1.3 billion from the fund. More than half of the projects approved by the minister's office were ranked poor, low, or medium by bureaucrats and received about $742 million across five rounds. Sixty-four of those low- and medium-ranked projects had hired registered lobbyists, creating an appearance of preferential treatment. Forensic audit materials were handed to the Ontario Provincial Police, and the Opposition demands the minister be fired.

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