Skills Development Fund recipient wants audit released, says government avoiding accountability | CBC News

"Keel Digital Solutions, a digital mental health care company, received funds from the province's Skills Development Fund, which is under scrutiny after a report from the auditor general found Ontario had not been transparent or fair when evaluating applications to the fund. Ahad Bandealy, founder of Keel Mind, which is part of Keel Digital Solutions, said the company is shouldering public blame for the province's handling of fund and that the company had no indication from auditors that it did anything wrong."

"Every day the audit stays secret, we're made to fight a ghost, and vulnerable people lose access to care, Bandealy said in a news release on Monday. Last week, the Ford government referred the forensic audit on Keel Mind to Ontario Provincial Police to determine whether a criminal investigation is warranted. The company said they have not been contacted by the OPP and defended their use of the funds. Keel was repeatedly told by auditors that the process showed no irregularities or red flags.'"

"The government has withheld $8.33 million from Keel Mind since April due to the controversy, the company said in the release. The financial pressure has forced Keel Digital Solutions to lay off over two dozen employees, according to the release. Asked if the province will release the audit, Ford said he's waiting for the OPP to finish their work first."

Keel Digital Solutions received payments from Ontario's Skills Development Fund that are now the subject of a forensic audit tied to broader findings of unfair and non-transparent application evaluations. The company asserts it had no indication from auditors of irregularities and reports public blame and operational harm while defending its use of the funds. The Ford government referred the forensic audit to the Ontario Provincial Police for possible criminal investigation, and the province has withheld $8.33 million since April. The withholding prompted layoffs of over two dozen employees and raised concerns that audit secrecy is reducing access to mental health care. Premier Doug Ford has said the audit will remain confidential while police investigate and declined to fire the minister responsible for fund selections.

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