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TORONTO \u2014 Ontario Labour Minister David Piccini was in the hot seat today as politicians are back at Queen\u2019s Park for the first time in months.<\/p>\n
Opposition parties focused most of their questions on findings from a recent Ontario auditor general report on the Skills Development Fund, which she said was not \u201cfair, transparent or accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The auditor found that Piccini\u2019s office has been heavily involved in selecting projects that get funded under the $2.5-billion skills training program and has doled out money to applicants ranked low by bureaucrats without documenting why.<\/p>\n
All three opposition parties are calling on Premier Doug Ford to ask for Piccini\u2019s resignation.<\/p>\n
Ford and Piccini are resisting that call, with Piccini touting the benefits of the fund, saying it has helped thousands of people find jobs.<\/p>\n
The auditor also found that more than 60 of the lower-scoring applicants were approved after they hired a lobbyist, which has the opposition crying foul over what they call preferential treatment.<\/p>\n
\u00a92025 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n