‘Something doesn’t smell right’: $100 million in Skills Development Fund grants traced to lobbyists with ties to Ontario premier

Bloomberg

Oct 07

Clients of lobbyists with ties to Ontario’s premier and his office snagged at least $100 million in Skills Development Fund grants, according to an analysis of the data by CTV News.The lion’s share of...

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Something doesn’t smell right,” said the opposition NDP’s leader, Marit Stiles, in an interview in the Ontario legislature on Monday.Stiles said she approved of the goals of the $2.5 billion Skills Development Fund (SDF), which was meant to encourage training of workers to better handle economic headwinds presented by the pandemic and U.S. tariffs.But she said handing out that money should have been decided based on objective parameters, not by political staffers who face a potential conflict of interest.“What I see happening over and over again is the premier and his government treating this fund like their personal piggy bank,” she said.In a bombshell report last week, Ontario’s Auditor General found political staff were often ignoring the advice of non-partisan bureaucrats to make funding decisions in the SDF, with some $126 million going to firms represented by lobbyists.While the Ontario government has made public the names of the recipients of the grants, it has not published tables of how much each grant recipient has received, and the auditor general didn’t specify.Niagara spa, casino company among those getting Skills Development Fund grants, drawing complaints from unionsCTV News combed through previous funding announcements as well as records in the province’s published detailed schedule of payments to match funding to recipients. The list could be incomplete, and requests to the provincial government to ensure its completeness were not responded to by deadline.One of those recipients was commercial baker FGF Brands Inc, who was featured in a video with the premier on his government YouTube account as he toured their largely mechanized production facility.Ontario’s public accounts indicates that company got about $1 million in the 2024-2025 year to train its staff. The company didn’t respond to requests for comment from CTV News.Records from the province’s Integrity Commissioner said FGF Brands hired Rubicon Strategies to approach the provincial government about a possible SDF grant.“Assist FGF Brands Inc with application to the Ontario Skills Development Fund programs to upskill and train FGF’s diverse workforce,” said a note in the file.Rubicon Strategy is owned by Kory Teneycke, who ran Ford’s election campaigns in 2022 and 2025. Kory Teneycke Kory Teneycke is the CEO of Rubicon Strategy. (CTV News) CTV News identified 12 organizations that were represented by Rubicon to secure SDF grants, for a total of about $85 million. No one from Rubicon responded to an email from CTV News by deadline.Atlas Strategic Advisors represented at least two firms that together raised approximately $17 million in grants, the records show. That lobbying company is owned by Amin Massoudi, who worked in the premier’s office.Massoudi did respond to CTV News, saying his firm didn’t “secure” government funding but instead worked with clients to achieve aims.“As government relations consultants, our primary role is ensuring our clients are submitting, complete, criteria compliant and well informed applications that align with public policy priorities,” Massoudi wrote. “We work with our clients through the rigorous open processes required to access government funding, while putting forward the most compelling case possible.” “These efforts alone do not guarantee any result,” he continued. “Attempting to connect client registrations to funding outcomes is an inaccurate way to measure what firms like ours do, and risks misleading readers about the reality of how public policy and funding decisions are made.”“We welcome the Auditor General’s oversight and believe Ontarians benefit when programs are reviewed and improved. Legitimate scrutiny helps strengthen public confidence in these important and highly impactful government programs,” he wrote.Ford, Massoudi FILE - Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford and his Deputy Chief of Staff Amin Massoudi, right, return from a private chat following a campaign event in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., on Friday, June 1, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn Another recipient of the grants, King Animal Hospital, didn’t tell CTV News how much they received in grants, but CEO Tracy Jones said in an email the money was used to train their veterinarians by blending “classroom instruction with hands-on learning in emergency and trauma care, critical care (ICU) and essential soft skill such as conflict resolution and compassionate communication.”“We are addressing a critical workforce shortage requiring specific critical care skills, reducing turnover, and strengthening the province’s animal healthcare system,” Jones said in an email to CTV News.The animal hospital was represented by ONpoint Strategy Group. Among the principals of that firm is Nico Fidani Diker, who worked in the Ontario premier’s office before joining the firm. ONpoint didn’t respond to questions from CTV News by deadline.Ford government defends grants from Skills Development Fund amid union strifeThe current Minister of Labour, David Piccini, who oversees the Skills Development Fund, told a news conference last week that he accepted the auditor general’s recommendations, but didn’t commit to having non-partisan staff make funding decisions.“It’s important and it is changing lives, and it’s changing lives for the better, which is why we’ve seen such incredible support for this program all across Ontario,” Piccini said then.Ontario Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development David Piccini speaks at a press conference in Kitchener, Ont., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan Ontario Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development David Piccini speaks at a press conference in Kitchener, Ont., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan","kind":"highlight","is_publish_news":true,"is_publish_highlight":false,"is_publish_live":false,"is_publish_wemedia":null,"editions":null,"column":"","sentiment":"-1","news_tag":"","news_rank":0,"symbols":[],"gpt_button":0,"need_auth":false,"code":"91000000","status":"200"}}}