Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner has declined to investigate whether Premier Doug Ford and his ministers acted improperly in halting a proposed Dresden landfill expansion.
In her decision, Commissioner Cathryn Motherwell said the request from Kingston and the Islands Liberal MPP Ted Hsu did not provide “reasonable and probable grounds” to believe the Members’ Integrity Act was breached.
Motherwell wrote that Hsu’s submission was “based largely on two media reports that do not support the allegations made.” She said there was no evidence Ford or his ministers had a personal interest in the project, and that her office’s role does not extend to reviewing “the wisdom or merits of government policy decisions.”
“While I understand and respect the sincerity of Mr. Hsu’s concerns, the information provided does not meet the threshold required for me to launch an inquiry,” Motherwell said.
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Hsu, the Ontario Liberals’ critic for agriculture and rural affairs, called the decision disappointing but said he would keep pressing for accountability. “The owner of the landfill is going to have to update their Environmental Compliance Approval, and we’ll look at that very closely,” he said. “This issue goes beyond Dresden — it speaks to how rural communities are treated when it comes to environmental protections.”
Local advocacy group Dresden Together said the commissioner’s ruling does not change residents’ opposition. “The fight is not over,” the group said in a statement. “We are deeply disappointed that the commissioner will not be investigating how this decision was made, but our commitment to protecting our land, water and future remains unchanged.”
The group thanked Hsu for bringing forward the complaint and said the community’s voice has been “a powerful force” in challenging the project. It pledged to continue organizing and pressing for transparency.
“This decision highlights the urgent need for stronger safeguards to ensure communities like Dresden are not sidelined when it comes to landfill approvals,” the statement said.
