An Ontario police force is defending receiving tens of thousands of dollars in donations from a company that is now facing allegations of fraud by the provincial government and a separate OPP investigation into whether taxpayer dollars were misspent.

Keel Digital Solutions, which was approved for more than $35 million in government funding to provide a wide range of mental health services between 2022 and 2025, has been accused of “misleading” the Ford government in an attempt to gain more taxpayer funding.

In a recent lawsuit filed in the Ontario Superior Court, the province alleged the owners of Keel Digital Solutions submitted “fraudulent” data on the services they provided and that the company was “unjustly enriched.”

While the province is looking to recoup $25.9 million in funding, it also referred the complaint to the OPP, which has launched its own criminal investigation.

None of the allegations in the Ontario government’s statement of claim have been proven in court. While police have opened an investigation, they have not laid charges.

Keel Digital Solutions has denied the allegations and insists the government’s legal claim is “deeply flawed, built on misstatements and outright inaccuracies.”

“Keel Digital has never been involved in any fraudulent activity, and we fully expect the government of Ontario to be compelled to retract its claims, apologize, and answer for the recklessness and malice that drove this case,” the company said in a statement.

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The same company has had a longstanding relationship with Peel Regional Police. It has been contracted to provide mental health support to its officers and donated thousands to a charity event organized by the Peel Police Foundation

At two consecutive events in 2024 and 2025, Keel Digital Solutions donated a total of $50,000 to the Chief’s Gala, an event where Premier Doug Ford and Solicitor General Michael Kerzner were in attendance — raising questions about whether the donations continue to be viewed as appropriate.

In 2024, the Ford government gave Keel Digital $2.7 million from the Skills Development Fund to develop a training program for 160 peer support workers to offer mental health services to 2,000 police officers with the Peel Regional Police.

The announcement was hailed by Premier Doug Ford as “critical mental health support for our men and women in uniform” — a sentiment echoed by Peel Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah.

“We are pleased to participate in initiatives that support our members’ mental health and well-being and to contribute to the work that Keel Digital Solution Mind and Get A-Head are doing,” Duraiappah said in a news release at the time. 

Later that year, Keel Digital Solutions put up $25,000 as the live auction sponsor for the Chief’s Gala in October, Peel police told Global News — giving the company access to two gala tables with VIP placement, access to a “meet and greet with the chief” along with “maximum company recognition” during the event.

“The 2024 donation went to ProAction Cops and Kids (Peel Chapter). ProAction is working with Peel Regional Police to engage under-resourced youth with volunteer officers to build healthy skill building programs,” Peel police said in a statement.

In 2025, the company donated another $25,000 to the Peel Police Foundation’s Chief’s Gala and once again sponsored the live auction.

“All proceeds raised at the 2025 Chief’s Gala benefit the Peel Police Foundation, an independently governed, non-profit organization dedicated to raising charitable funds to support initiatives that address pressing social challenges in our community, including: mental health, addiction, homelessness, youth engagement, and intimate partner violence,” Peel police said in a statement.

Global News asked Peel police whether it would continue a donor relationship with Keel Digital Solutions, but the force did not respond to the question.

Keel Digital Solutions told Global News that the donations were “funded from our investors.”

“In no way were our donations derived from political funding,” said Chief Operating Officer Jay Fischbach.

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