Although it was clear that Bestech never intended to submit to the process, it was allowed to operate for years after it was known to be operating illegally. This meant that students were cheated of thousands of dollars in course fees and lost time, while never receiving the education they were promised.
What’s worse is that while one branch of the Ministry was sending warnings, the other branch was approving provincial funding so that students could attend Bestech. In the end, the Ministry funded Bestech students through the Ontario Skills and Development Program to the tune of $60,000. After the school’s owner was finally forced to shut down her operations, she even managed to work at the Ministry for a month before her connections to the illegal school were unearthed!
The facts speak for themselves, according to the report the Obmudsman’s first report : “The Ministry has only obtained one court injunction and has never laid provincial offence charges against a private career college… The Ministry does not engage in systematic monitoring of unregistered career colleges, and the private career colleges are largely left to “self-police.” The Ministry also has no guidelines for escalating enforcement, timelines or standards. As demonstrated in the Bestech case, months can pass with no activity and deadlines are allowed to pass with no action being taken.” P.32
Given the seriousness of the Ombudsman’s findings the Premier’s response was completely inappropriate. Defending his Ministry, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said:
“If you’re buying a car, if you’re buying a fridge, if you’re buying a house or buying a chocolate bar there’s an old legal maxim: caveat emptor. Buyer beware.”
But this is a consumer protection issue: not only are potential students at risk of losing thousands of dollars; the public risks exposure to inadequately trained gas technicians, estheticians (who conduct laser procedures and chemical peels) and PSWs. It is the government’s responsibility to provide reliable oversight such as that offered by the Consumer Protection Branch of the Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services.
CARP will be sending an open letter to Minister John Malloy and calling on him to report on the steps his Ministry has taken to rectify this situation and protect Ontarians. If you have encountered the same problems in your province please contact us with any information and we will follow up on the Ministry responsible. Click here to read CARP’s open letter
Keywords: caregivers, homecare
