People are watching

Karmageddon By Mr. ‘X’ ~ John Mutton CENTRAL EXCLUSIVE People are watching As Ontario prepares for the next round of Skills Development Fund (SDF) allocations—this time including capital funding—you would think the government would be eager to clean up its act. So far, there is little evidence that it has. The SDF program has already been engulfed in controversy. Applicants that scored poorly on their submissions were nevertheless greenlit for millions of dollars, while legitimate trade schools, unions, and skilled-training institutions were left watching from the sidelines. When a disproportionate share of public funding flows repeatedly to the same politically connected actors, it stops looking like coincidence and starts looking like collusion. Among the names repeatedly tied to these grants are Kory Teneycke, the Premier’s former campaign manager; Nico Fidani Dyker, a former senior staffer in the Premier’s office; and Michael Diamond, the President of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. Oversight ultimately rests with the Ministry of Labour, under Minister David Piccini, whose proximity to lobbyists and grant recipients has raised persistent concerns. There are documented reports of front-row Maple Leafs tickets, luxury travel, and privileged access enjoyed by principals of companies that received SDF funding. At the same time, credible training organizations—those actually preparing electricians, welders, millwrights, and heavy-equipment operators—were passed over. This week, a brief investigation revealed that multiple steel companies have independently retained Nico Fidani Dyker’s lobbying firm ahead of the next SDF intake. This mirrors prior behaviour observed during the Greenbelt scandal, where access appeared to matter more than merit. At the same time, the Ontario Provincial Police investigation into irregularities surrounding Keel Digital Solutions remains unresolved, and the RCMP’s Greenbelt investigation continues. Despite this, the same players appear confident that public money will continue to flow. Within government, many Members of Provincial Parliament are privately unhappy with what is unfolding. Fear of political retaliation, withdrawn support, or stalled funding has kept most silent. Meanwhile, Ontario’s skilled trades continue to struggle. Apprenticeships go unfunded. Training facilities age. Labour shortages worsen. If the next round of Skills Development Funds proceeds without reform, transparency, and accountability, it will confirm what many already believe: the program has become less about skills and more about access. People are watching.