A complaint alleging a conflict of interest case involving NOTL Coun. Erwin Wiens and Premier Doug Ford was rejected by the town’s integrity commissioner, prompting an appeal.
Virgil resident Steve McGuinness alleged Wiens violated conflict-of-interest rules through private meetings arranged at the property of Wiens’ cousin Rainer Hummel and potential agricultural benefits from the provincial government.
Janice Atwood and Jeffrey A. Abrams of Principles Integrity, a partnership operating as NOTL’s integrity commissioner, concluded on April 9 that Wiens did not breach municipal ethics guidelines.
The decision noted Wiens’ relationship with Hummel, a prominent local developer, did not constitute an automatic conflict due to the distant familial link as cousins.
McGuinness plans to challenge the decision with provincial authorities, claiming the commissioner’s findings were flawed and overlooked a broader pattern of potential ethical compromise.
“The integrity commissioner chooses to respond to each step in the complaint in isolation without considering the overall series of events that together may create a pattern creating the appearance of a potential conflict of interest,” said McGuinness.
The complaint specifically targeted Wiens’ arrangement of a private meeting with Premier Doug Ford at Hummel’s Queen Street estate in late 2024, where provincial funding for Shaw Festival improvements and agricultural irrigation issues were discussed.
During a February campaign stop at Niagara District Airport — another Wiens-arranged event — Ford announced a $35-million funding commitment to the Shaw Festival.
During this visit, The Lake Report asked Ford about his meeting with Hummel at the campaign stop, to which the premier commented that it was a simple fundraiser.
“I don’t ever discuss business at the homes of whoever. That’s private business, and I’m very transparent. What I discuss, I discuss at the press conferences,” said Ford.
McGuinness argues Wiens’ active role in arranging these events, coupled with Ford’s announcement, created the appearance of impropriety.
The commissioner, however, determined these events did not constitute evasion of disclosure requirements, nor did Wiens’ agricultural interests amount to conflicts due to a “common interest” exception.
McGuinness says the ruling contradicts prior decisions made by former integrity commissioner Edward McDermott and raises concerns over why the town replaced McDermott with Principles Integrity.
“It begs the question: Was it a cost-control measure, or are they opinion shopping because they didn’t like McDermott’s stricter interpretations?” said McGuinness.
