How Doug Ford’s greenbelt plan imploded, and what comes next

In today’s Big Story Podcast, last week, Ontario premier Doug Ford apologized for breaking his promise on the Greenbelt and vowed to reverse his decision to open up parts to development. The move came after months of scandal, investigations and public outcry—it’s a rare example of a politician listening and admitting he screwed up, and got it wrong.

Emma McIntosh is an Ontario reporter for The Narwhal. She’s been following this story since the beginning, and only heard about the announcement minutes before it happened. “I think I had to pick my jaw up off the ground first before I could even think about what was going on. My second reaction was, ‘oh man, this is gonna be messy,’” said McIntosh.

But the saga isn’t over yet. There are developers who spent billions buying up land they assumed would be developed. They may sue. There are still ongoing investigations. And there is still an electorate that was showing clear signs of abandoning Ford over this move before his reversal. Will they reverse themselves, too?

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