A Toronto constable alleged to be “the genesis” of a police corruption investigation involving leaks of information to criminals will remain in custody after a bail review in Ontario’s Superior Court.
Const. Timothy Barnhardt is one of eight current and former Toronto police officers who have been charged as part of Project South, an investigation into organized crime and corruption spearheaded by the York Regional Police.
The arguments and evidence presented during Barnhardt’s bail hearing and the proceedings to review the case are subject to a standard publication ban and cannot be reported.
The seven-month investigation was launched in June 2025 after a conspiracy to murder a member of corrections management working at an Ontario correctional institution was uncovered, police said.
Three suspects were arrested at the York Region home of the corrections employee and a loaded handgun was seized. Investigators allege that three Toronto officers and one retired officer illegally accessed the victim’s confidential information and passed it on to members of a criminal enterprise.
York police later identified a series of criminal activities that took place following the release of the information, including seven shootings, extortion, and commercial robberies.
Investigators subsequently uncovered a number of other serious crimes like murder, additional shootings and extortions, and drug trafficking they said were linked to officers who illegally accessed information that was then relayed to the criminals who committed the crimes.
Police allege the confidential information was shared with Brian Da Costa and Elwyn Satanowsky, who police said are believed to be “key” figures to criminal networks with international ties. Both men were also charged as part of the investigation.
Further investigation uncovered a plan in which Toronto police officers intended to “support the operation of illegal cannabis dispensaries by accepting bribes to obstruct any possible enforcement at those locations,” according to a police press release at the time.
Police said the accused officers had “varying degrees of criminality and associations to criminal networks” and alleged that some of them had trafficked cocaine and accepted bribes to supply information.
Barnhardt was accused of being the ringleader because he had some form of relationship with all of the accused officers.
The 56-year-old Mississauga resident faces 17 charges, the most of any of the officers accused in the investigation, including offences related to cocaine trafficking and bribery. He also faces firearms charges, and is accused of breach of trust, obstruction, and unauthorized use of a computer.
