Previously sealed court documents released publicly this week reveal new allegations against several Greater Toronto Area police officers who are facing charges as part of the wide-ranging Project South investigation into police corruption.
Project South was launched by the York Regional Police in June 2025 after a conspiracy to murder a senior correctional officer at an Ontario institution was uncovered.
The probe culminated in the arrest of seven serving Toronto police officers, two current Peel Regional Police officers, and one retired Toronto police officer. More than a dozen other people were also arrested.
York investigators allege the officers relayed confidential police information to criminals who used the information to carry out serious crimes, including attempted murder and extortion.
Some have been accused of accepting bribes and drug trafficking and one officer is facing theft charges.
Additional allegations listed in a 274-page Information-to-Obtain (ITO) court filing submitted by investigators have been partially released following a ruling by Ontario Superior Court Justice Laura Bird, although certain details remain shielded by a court-ordered publication ban. None of the allegations have been tested in court.
The ruling comes after several media outlets contested the publication ban on the documents and extensive ITO redactions in court.
Here’s an overview of some of the allegations listed in the document.
Not Previously Suspected
A number of the allegations involve Toronto police Const. Timothy Barnhardt, who has been described by investigators as the “genesis” of the probe.
He was one of seven active Toronto police officers charged in the case and faces numerous charges. He has also been accused of playing a role in the attempted murder plot against a Toronto South Detention Centre correctional officer.
Investigators allege the plan involved Barnhardt and Brian Da Costa, who they have identified as central players in the investigation, alongside several other suspects.
Da Costa, a 43-year-old Toronto resident is facing an array of charges that include drug trafficking, bribery, and obstruction of justice. The court documents also name him as the vital link between the orchestrators of the hit and the corrupted police database information used to locate the victim.
The judge in her ruling noted that Barnhardt was not under suspicion before the York police force launched an investigation into the matter.
“What is, perhaps, most concerning about the allegations of widespread police corruption in this case is the fact that the York Regional Police only stumbled upon it in the course of their investigation into the conspiracy to murder the correctional officer,” Bird said.
The investigation began after a gunman showed up at the York Region home of a senior corrections official in June 2025. The official was not home at the time, but the official’s grandfather was confronted by the gunman before he fled.
Police arrested three masked suspects outside the official’s home on June 20, 2025, after they rammed a parked police cruiser and were found with a loaded handgun.
The incident sparked the Project South inquiry after investigators discovered the hit had allegedly been orchestrated using leaked insider information. Investigators searching the police database found that it was allegedly Barnhardt who had looked up the victim’s address by running his licence plate, Bird wrote.
The court documents said the hit was requested by a man who has been charged in connection with a drug-trafficking organization that U.S. authorities allege was led by Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder.
Police also allege they documented 17 separate occasions when Barnhardt accessed the Ministry of Transportation database outside of his official duties. They allege Barnhardt shared the information with associates, and that several of the unauthorized inquiries involved individuals who were later the targets of shootings.
Bird noted in her ruling that there was no evidence suggesting anyone harboured suspicions about the constable or his alleged associates prior to the investigation.
“That is something that should be of tremendous concern to the public because it demonstrates that a trusted public official can engage in widespread illegal conduct and go undetected,” Bird said.
“The public has a right to know what police services across this province are doing to respond to this disturbing scenario. The public can only hold their community police services accountable if they are aware of the full extent of the allegations against the Project South defendants.”
Additional Allegations
Documents filed by police allege Barnhardt planned to establish and operate unlicensed cannabis dispensaries and erotic massage parlours in Toronto. He was responsible for identifying appropriate venues for these underground operations and coordinating protective measures against law enforcement intervention, according to the allegations.
Investigators allege Barnhardt agreed to provide advance warning of inspections and orchestrate the payment of cash bribes to police and bylaw officers. He is also accused of using police databases to shield the illegal sites against enforcement.
The court document also alleges that Barnhardt, Const. Saurabjit Bedi, and other officers used personal vehicles to “repeatedly” deal drugs and share cocaine among themselves.
The document also described alleged dialogue between Barnhardt and a fellow constable about “acquisition, pricing, weighing, quality and redistribution of cocaine.”
Barnhardt’s lawyer declined to comment on the allegations released by the court when contacted by The Canadian Press and Da Costa’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
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