A company that received $4.79 million from Labour Minister David Piccini through Ontario’s Skills Development Fund was flagged by a bureaucrat over concerns it might use the money to buy its own software, according to a confidential government database obtained by the Star.

As Premier Doug Ford defended Piccini on Monday, saying, “I’m not getting rid of him,” internal notes showed bureaucrats evaluating a 2024 application from Keel Digital Solutions were concerned about the company’s plans for $3.67 million of its total funding request, to offer the “Keel Mind platform” to 11,373 first responders in peer mental health.

Under the heading “Application Risks” in the Labour Ministry’s database, a staff member detailed concerns about the submission from Keel and its subsidiary, Get A-Head.

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