Paydirt E3: Margaritaville

In today’s The Big Story podcast, in summer 2023, two watchdog reports about the Ontario government’s contentious decision to cut into the protected Greenbelt dropped, throwing the Progressive Conservatives into disarray. As Premier Doug Ford doubled down, the pressure cranked up, with angry public protests and questions about alleged massages in Las Vegas. 

As the scandal reached a fever pitch, Ford and his caucus met in Niagara Falls and hit a major turning point.

Richard Southern is a reporter for CityNews who was there for the moment everything changed. “What we heard was one of the most remarkable walkbacks, one of the most remarkable mea culpas you’ll ever hear, certainly in Ontario politics,” he said. 

But was it enough to settle questions about whether the Ford government is really working for the people?

This is the final episode of Paydirt, a three-part miniseries taking you to the heart of Ontario’s Greenbelt scandal, hosted by Emma McIntosh, an investigative reporter with The Narwhal. Paydirt was presented in partnership with The Narwhal.