Ontario’s integrity commissioner has decided not to investigate connections between Premier Doug Ford, three of his ministers, and the developers of a dormant landfill near Dresden.
Ted Hsu, the Liberal Critic for Rural and Agricultural Affairs and MPP for Kingston and the Islands, sent a letter to Integrity Commissioner Cathryn Motherwell in May, requesting an investigation into political donations made to the Ford government by the owners of the Dresden landfill site on Irish School Road.
The basis of Hsu’s concern was an article published by The Trillium, which detailed how developers Andrew and Daniel Guizzetti, who acquired the Dresden-area property in 2022, along with their family members and business partners, have donated over $200,000 to the Progressive Conservative Party since 2018, including numerous contributions clustered around key regulatory decisions affecting the landfill site.
In a written decision released on Wednesday, Motherwell said Hsu has failed to provide sufficient evidence to objectively show reasonable and probable grounds that any of the four members named in the complaint have contravened the Member’s Integrity Act. As a result, Motherwell said there are no grounds for her to conduct an inquiry.
Hsu called the decision disappointing.
“This decision leaves unaddressed the critical issue of how we should ensure public trust and environmental protection going forward,” Hsu said in a statement. Ontarians deserve transparency about who this government is really working for.”
Earlier this year, the Ford government backtracked on a promise to conduct a comprehensive environmental assessment for the landfill property by passing Bill 5. The legislation will allow Mississauga-based company York1 Waste Solutions to move forward with the expansion and development of the site.
The reopening of the landfill site just outside of Dresden has sparked significant pushback from local residents, the municipality, environmental groups, and opposition parties.
“The absence of an investigation does not mean the end of this issuer,” said Hsu. “I remain committed to fighting to let the rest of Ontario know what happened to the people of Dresden and communities further downstream along the Sydenham River.”
MPP Hsu will be visiting Dresden on Friday to meet with area residents and discuss the ongoing fight against the landfill. A public meeting will take place at the Old Czech Hall in Dresden beginning at 6 p.m.
