Paydirt E2: Bees, stags, does and Vegas

In today’s The Big Story podcast, in the months following the Ontario government’s announcement to cut into protected Greenbelt land to allow for housing development, Premier Doug Ford’s ties with developers were suddenly under a microscope. 

Rumours were flying, journalists and independent watch dogs were digging — and the day Ford swallowed a bee turned out to be very consequential for another reason. And then two big stories came to light, about a party in the premier’s backyard and a trip to Las Vegas.

In the second episode of our new documentary miniseries, Paydirt, host Emma McIntosh — a reporter with The Narwhal who broke some of the stories that cracked the scandal wide open — breaks down the chaotic bombshells that kept the Greenbelt story simmering while watchdogs investigated. 

Colin D’Mello is the Queen’s Park bureau chief for Global News, and the president of the press gallery at the Ontario Legislature. He told Emma the Greenbelt scandal raised all kinds of questions about whose perspective the Ford government listens to.

“The Greenbelt opened up the question as to whether or not the government had inappropriate ties with developers,” he said. “So much so that the government was willing to go above and beyond and put their interests ahead of the interests of average Ontarians.”

Presented in partnership with The Narwhal, Paydirt is a three-part miniseries taking you to the heart of Ontario’s Greenbelt scandal. 

Hosted by Emma McIntosh, an investigative reporter with The Narwhal.

You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify. You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.