Toronto cop at heart of police corruption allegations denied bail a third time - Toronto Star

Timothy Barnhardt has been in custody since early February, when he was arrested in Project South.

Toronto Const. Barnhardt has been jail since his his February arrest over allegations of police corruption from the Project South investigation.

Timothy Barnhardt, the Toronto officer at the centre of the Project South police corruption case, has been denied bail for a third time.

Barnhardt has been behind bars since early February when he was arrested in a sprawling investigation into alleged police corruption that led to charges against seven Toronto cops and one retired constable.

Investigators allege Barnhardt sold information gleaned from confidential police databases to criminals, who used it to facilitate a series of violent crimes, including the attempted assassination of a Toronto jail official in June 2025.

Friday’s decision, delivered by Superior Court Justice Philip Campbell, marks the third time Barnhardt’s been denied a release from custody ahead of trial. He was initially denied bail at a hearing in the days after his arrest, a rare decision against a uniformed officer. He sought to overturn that decision at the Superior Court of Justice and was again denied.

All of Barnhardt’s bail hearings fall under a standard publication ban, preventing the disclosure of any evidence presented as part of the proceedings, as well as the judges’ reasoning.

We untangle the web of alleged connections between accused crime figures and Toronto police officers in the Project South corruption scandal.

In addition to allegations he leaked civilians’ personal information, police allege Barnhardt was a “central redistributor” of drugs, supplying them to other officers who themselves are also accused of trafficking cocaine. He also is accused of as orchestrating a protection racket for illegal cannabis dispensaries and erotic massage parlours, in which fellow police officers would receive envelopes of cash in exchange for tip-offs on upcoming enforcement.

None of the allegations against Barnhardt have been tested in court. One of his lawyers, Jason Dos Santos, told the Star in an email that they will defend the allegations in court “where facts — not headlines — decide the outcome.”

Barnhardt, who is currently being held in protective custody, now faces uncertain jail time while awaiting a trial. If convicted on his current charges, he stands to face the longest sentence handed to a police officer in relation to on-duty conduct in Canadian history.

The accused are set to return to court in late November.

Abby O’Brien is a Toronto-based general assignment reporter for the Star. Reach her via email: abbyobrien@thestar.ca