One of the former Goodwill’s largest provincial funders had no warning or clue that the agency was in financial straits until it suddenly shut its doors on Jan. 18, say documents provided to the Toronto Sun.

“Toronto region was not aware of the planned closure ... the agency had not requested cash advances or other financial assistance,” say documents obtained from the Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) through a Freedom of Information request.

The documents — briefing notes provided to the minister and deputy minister of MCSS following Goodwill of Toronto, Eastern, Central and Northern Ontario’s (TECNO’s) closure and subsequent bankruptcy — show it took weeks to track down the originally reported 52 ministry clients covered by some $1.7-million in funding given in 2014-15 and $1.8-million in 2015-2016. The client number was subsequently changed to 51.

The briefing notes — vague as to breakdowns on what was funded in the current fiscal year — suggest ministry officials didn’t seem to have a clear handle on what happened to their clients or their money in the months prior to the closure.

According to the documents, MCSS gave $1.4-million in 2014-15 and at least $1.5-million in 2015-16 to serve 40 individuals under a supported employment program and another $200,000 or $300,000 for 11 individuals under a program called employABILITY which helped place developmentally disabled adults into jobs.

Goodwill got another $20,000 “in one time funding” in 2014-15 to replace the HVAC system at their Midwest Rd. offices.

The MCSS documents also note that the ministry of training, colleges and universities gave $1.99-million in funding in 2014-2015 (again no figures were provided for 2015-16) and that was supposed to provide employment and training programs to about 1,300 clients.

But when Goodwill closed up shop, only 330 active clients were registered with the agency, the documents note.

In an undated MCSS update, the minister and deputy minister are told that $1.5-million had already been given to Goodwill for 2015-16 but that “stop payment” had been put on the remaining $300,000 provided for February and March.

In a Feb. 29 update, the day former Goodwill CEO Keiko Nakamura resigned and the agency went bankrupt, MCSS officials concede they are still owed another $150,000.

In a Jan. 27 briefing note, MCSS officials state they’ve finally obtained “hard copy files” from Goodwill on their clients. On Feb. 2, the documents contend, letters were couriered to the 46 (of 51) former Goodwill staff (funded by MCSS) for which they had files or contact info to advise them of services available to them — but six of them were returned because the addresses were incorrect.

Alissa Von Bargen, spokesperson for MCSS Minister Helena Jaczek, told me last week all 51 former Goodwill clients have been reached and 42 of them are “now receiving alternative supports.”

Bankruptcy trustee Angela Pollard said things are moving along but the process could take up to three years.

She said some creditors will get paid but that will depend on whether there are remaining liabilities to the federal government (from payroll errors). The Wage Earner Protection program must also be paid back, she said.

Pollard said it is not likely MCSS will ever see their money.

But she did say the Goodwill pension plan is still intact.

SLevy@postmedia.com