By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A Liberal MPP is calling on Ontario’s integrity commissioner to investigate whether political donations improperly influenced the Ford government’s cancellation of the environmental assessment of the York1 landfill.
In a letter dated July 23, Ted Hsu, MPP for Kingston and the Islands, asks Cathryn Motherwell to “consider additional information” published by media outlet The Trillium on July 23.
According to Hsu, an article in The Trillium has revealed Progressive Conservative Ontario Fund chair Tony Miele may have undue influence with politicians and developers. Based on the story, Hsu said the information “raises further questions about whether political donations and insider ties improperly influenced the exercise of ministerial power,” and whether the Ford government may have violated sections of the Members Integrity Act 1994.
It’s the second letter Hsu has penned asking the integrity commissioner to probe the matter.
“I continue to believe this matter is of significant public interest,” Hsu stated. “Given the financial stakes of those involved, the history of integrity concerns surrounding land use decisions in Ontario, and the new and substantial powers that ministers gave themselves through Bill 5, I want to reiterate my belief that the public deserves a full and independent investigation.”
The Ford government passed legislation in June that removed the requirement for an environmental assessment of the proposed York1 Dresden landfill project that would have hindered expansion.
According to well-placed sources cited in The Trillium report, Miele has done business with both Andrew and Daniel Guizzetti. The Guizzetti brothers and York1 chief operating officer Brian Brunetti control the site of the landfill under a secondary company called Whitestone Fields Ltd.
The property was transferred from York1 to Whitestone Fields Ltd. in February 2025.
When reporting on the story, The Trillium called Miele to ask if he’d had any involvement in the Dresden landfill reversal or any business relationship with the Guizzetti brothers. He declined to comment.
Official records indicate individuals with the names matching the Guizzetti brothers, their families and the executives of their companies have donated at least $200,000 to PC causes since 2018, the year Ford was elected.
The expansion of the dormant landfill at Dresden has faced fierce opposition, including condemnation from Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles and Ontario Party Green Party leader Mike Schreiner.
“If you’re ever wondering what’s behind the decisions that the Ford government makes, you only need to look as far as who benefits from it and whether they’ve donated to the Progressive Conservative party,” Stiles told a reporter.
Schreiner had strong words as well.
“Doug Ford’s government has a pattern of prioritizing the interests of wealthy, well-connected insiders over the needs of everyday Ontarians. New information about backroom dealings and preferential treatment for donors and political insiders raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability,” he said. “The proposed Dresden landfill project could have lasting consequences for the land, water, and community. We echo the call for a full and independent investigation into Tony Miele’s ties to developers and whether these relationships may have improperly influenced land-use decisions in Dresden.”
