Ontario Premier Doug Ford is defending his government’s decision to continue funding a digital mental health platform even as the company faced a provincial audit, which eventually triggered an OPP investigation.
The Ford government has been facing persistent questions over why Keel Digital Solutions received millions in taxpayer dollars in 2024 and 2025, more than a year after provincial auditors began probing the company uncovered “irregularities.”
Ford, who has previously said the government siphoned off funding the moment the situation was referred to the OPP, suggested the province always presumes innocence during audits.
“We cut off the funding as soon as we get the results,” Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park.
“You don’t presume someone guilty right away. What you do is find out if there’s a problem with the money, then we’re the ones who go ahead and call in the OPP,” the premier added.
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Over the course of three years, the Get-A-Head was given roughly $20 million from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities for digital mental health counselling services for post-secondary students.
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In 2023, Get-A-Head — which was eventually acquired by Keel Digital Solutions and rebranded as Keel Mind — was subjected to a routine audit, which “raised concerns” and eventually triggered a forensic audit in 2025.
Keel insists that it has “complied with all laws and contract obligations” and expects to receive a “government apology at the end of this.”
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Despite the active audit, however, the company continued to receive millions of dollars in funding from the Ford government from three different ministries: $12.7 million from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities in 2024-25; $1.8 million from the Ministry of Health in 2024-25 and $2.3 million from the Ministry of Labour’s skills development fund in 2024-25.
Critics of the Ford government have repeatedly questioned whether the government was unaware of the ongoing audit, or whether multiple ministries “looked in the other direction.”
“If you had a contractor in your house and they started sending you bills that you couldn’t trust, would you keep paying them?” Ontario Liberal MPP John Fraser asked.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles said it “defies belief” that the government would have been unaware and blamed Minister of Labour David Piccini for selecting Keel Digital Solutions for a $2.7 million contract in 2024.
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“The minister of labour has admitted that he handpicked that same company after bureaucrats had already ranked them low, had already raised red flags,” Stiles said.
While the NDP has called for the resignation of the labour minister over the Skills Development Fund affair, the premier offered Piccini his support and said “yes” he will continue in the role when the legislature resumes in the Spring of 2026.
