New: an update to this reporting! Sex-themed betting site OnlySpins, which was open to Ontarians despite not having a licence to operate here, has shut down following stories from The Star, @investigate-europe.eu and many international partner outlets. Gift link: www.thestar.com/gift-redeem?...

Toronto Star@thestar.com · 2w ago

The Star's @emmamci.bsky.social spoke recently to Newstalk 1010 about her investigation into a network of blacklisted and 'predatory' gambling sites. The full story: trib.al/0IO3QGa

The Star's @emmamci.bsky.social spoke recently to Newstalk 1010 about her investigation into a network of blacklisted and 'predatory' gambling sites. The full story: trib.al/0IO3QGa

Latest from me, @sheilawang.bsky.social and our pals at the ICIJ.

Toronto Star@thestar.com · 2w ago

A broad swath of crypto businesses in Canada are intentionally acting as conduits for money laundering, Iran-linked sanctions evasion and organized crime, a federal watchdog has found. #cdnpoli Here's the latest from the Star and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists:

My latest, collaboration with Investigate Europe + many media partners: ToonieBet is taking off in Ontario’s regulated online gambling market. Its parent company, Soft2bet, appears to be linked to a network of blacklisted casinos targeting Canadians, our investigation has found. Gift link below

Update to my story from the weekend:

Toronto Star@thestar.com · 2mo ago

Ontario’s integrity commissioner is being asked to investigate a former Ford government staffer’s move to a mining company whose project he helped advance while working for the province in 2024. Both Ontario and the mining company say the rules were followed.

The requests come in the wake of a Star investigation that looked into Rombout's time working for the provincial Ministry of Mines, where he directed bureaucrats at multiple ministries on how to advance a mining project, and his subsequent move the private sector. More from @emmamci.bsky.social:

As a Ford government staffer, he helped get through permits for a controversial gold mine. Now he works for the company as a lobbyist

Internal documents raise questions on whether Kevin Rombout's move violated ethics law, an allegation that the province and the mining company deny.

thestar.com

My latest. This story is based on FOI documents released before the Ford government changed the law. Under the new rules, the province will now be able to keep records like this secret.

Toronto Star@thestar.com · 2mo ago

Star Investigation: As a Ford government staffer, he helped get through permits for a controversial gold mine. Now he works for the company as a lobbyist. New from @emmamci.bsky.social:

Health Canada has long said glyphosate is safe, even after a major study underpinning that conclusion was retracted in 2025. But soon after that retraction, Health Canada quietly stepped up its oversight of glyphosate, records show. From @fxplante.bsky.social and me: www.thestar.com/news/investi...

Health Canada said this controversial pesticide is safe. Behind the scenes, the agency has ramped up its monitoring

There have long been safety concerns about glyphosate. The WHO concluded in 2015 that it is “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

thestar.com

via @emmamci.bsky.social www.thestar.com/news/ontario...

The Doug Ford government is moving to shield politicians from scrutiny. Here are secrets the new law would have kept under wraps

The Star has for decades used freedom of information legislation to hold governments to account.

thestar.com

The Doug Ford government is moving to shield politicians from scrutiny. Here are secrets the new law would have kept under wraps

The Doug Ford government is moving to shield politicians from scrutiny. Here are secrets the new law would have kept under wraps

The Star has for decades used freedom of information legislation to hold governments to account.

thestar.com

An update to the story below: Canada’s anti-money laundering watchdog, Fintrac, has embarked on an enforcement sweep following our reporting, revoking the registrations of nearly three dozen cryptocurrency businesses.

Emma McIntosh@emmamci.bsky.social · 5mo ago

ICYMI, an investigation by @sheilawang.bsky.social, me and @icij.org has found more than 30 unauthorized crypto-to-cash shops on Yonge Street in the Greater Toronto Area, openly flouting the law. We also found alleged links to Iran-backed terror groups.

🧵: Ontario's proposed FOI changes will likely kill a court order relating to Doug Ford's personal cellphone. They'll also probably end a high-stakes battle involving a former chief of staff and their potential use of personal emails during the Greenbelt. #ONPoli

In January, I used documents I received from an FOI to report this story, which revealed how much the province was spending on its Ring of Fire ad campaign. One budget line lists nearly $60,000 for “additional costs as a result of eliminating shoe scene from TV spot.” 🧵

Documents reveal Ontario's $7M Ring of Fire ad bill

These ads are pushing the controversial mega-project through a campaign it has dubbed “Protect Ontario,” which Canada’s National Observer has learned is earmarked with a budget of more than $7 million...

nationalobserver.com

Information revealed through FOI-based reporting has led to investigations, resignations, and more within the Ford government. The reporting @emmamci.bsky.social and others did on the Greenbelt, for example. 🧵

Emails challenge Ontario’s narrative on Greenbelt | The Narwhal

One member of Doug Ford's staff discussed Greenbelt changes months before the premier's timeline. Another breached a reporter's privacy

thenarwhal.ca

The Ontario government wants to rewrite the law that compelled it to disclose documents revealing the Greenbelt land scandal, the Skills Development Fund controversy and others. For @nationalobserver.com 🧵

Ford targets Ontario law that exposed his government's worst scandals

The Greenbelt scandal, the Skills Development controversy and more were all revealed through freedom of information requests.

nationalobserver.com

Suspicious transactions at GTA crypto shops reveal alleged links to Iran-backed terror groups. Is the regulator doing enough to police them? #StarInvestigation

Suspicious transactions at GTA crypto shops reveal alleged links to Iran-backed terror groups. Is the regulator doing enough to police them?

FINTRAC says it rigorously polices the money services sector, has issued more than $200 million in fines, and is monitoring crypto activity.

thestar.com

ICYMI, an investigation by @sheilawang.bsky.social, me and @icij.org has found more than 30 unauthorized crypto-to-cash shops on Yonge Street in the Greater Toronto Area, openly flouting the law. We also found alleged links to Iran-backed terror groups.

Emma McIntosh@emmamci.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Suspicious transactions at GTA crypto shops reveal alleged links to Iran-backed terror groups. Is the regulator doing enough to police them? Latest investigation from @sheilawang.bsky.social and me, with help from our friends at @icij.org www.thestar.com/news/investi...

Suspicious transactions at GTA crypto shops reveal alleged links to Iran-backed terror groups. Is the regulator doing enough to police them? Latest investigation from @sheilawang.bsky.social and me, with help from our friends at @icij.org www.thestar.com/news/investi...

Suspicious transactions at GTA crypto shops reveal alleged links to Iran-backed terror groups. Is the regulator doing enough to police them?

FINTRAC says it rigorously polices the money services sector, has issued more than $200 million in fines, and is monitoring crypto activity.

thestar.com

Translated lede: "Doug Ford justified the mandatory return of public servants to the office by saying that in-person work increased productivity. But the department responsible for the measure disagrees, reveals a document obtained by Le Droit under the Access to Information Act." #OnPoli

Isaac Callan@isaaccallan.bsky.social · 6mo ago

From Le Droit: When Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced his plan for civil servants to return to the office full-time, he said it would make them more productive. But internal documents show his minister was told not to make that claim. #OnPoli www.ledroit.com/actualites/a...

From the Star’s Jennifer Pagliaro, @fxplante.bsky.social and me: www.thestar.com/news/investi...

A GPS tracker. Attempted insurance fraud. Alarming new allegations emerge in the Toronto police corruption scandal

One cop arrested in Project South is accused of helping an associate install a GPS tracker on a woman's vehicle so she could be followed.

thestar.com

A former OneBC staffer previously participated in a Spaces call with the leaders of white nationalist/"Canadian nationalist" organizations. They talked about deporting 10 million people and joked about throwing "millions of Punjabis" into the sea. 1/3 thetyee.ca/News/2026/02...

Inside the Far-Right Push to Influence Canadian Political Parties | The Tyee

A conference call shows a political operative with past Conservative connections advising several white nationalist groups.

thetyee.ca

icymi from me: the Greenbelt scandal rages on for one developer who has filed a new lawsuit against Ontario. "I know that people don’t necessarily, in a lot of cases, sympathize with land developers. I get that. But this could be anything," the company's lawyer said. www.thestar.com/news/investi...

NEW: An Ontario developer is seeking compensation from the Ford government over how it handled the Greenbelt reversal. Their lawyer says the ordeal sets a dangerous precedent for anyone entering into a contract with the province. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1159350...

Developer advances Greenbelt lawsuit, seeking $300M from Ontario government | Globalnews.ca

Minotar Holdings, a development company that owns roughly 210 acres of land in Markham, recently filed a fresh statement of claim against the provincial government.

globalnews.ca

City investigating after contractor drives tractor with snowplow through Palestinian protest

City investigating after contractor drives tractor with snowplow through Palestinian protest

Videos show a tractor with a snowplow attached driving through a crowd on the sidewalk in front of the U.S. consulate on Tuesday evening.

thestar.com

Kyrrex controlled #crypto wallets that contained funds originally stolen from victims across the globe: a Canadian farmer, a Belgian scientist, a Danish politician... From @emmamci.bsky.social and me in collab with @icij.org www.thestar.com/news/investi...

The trail had gone cold for millions in stolen crypto. Then came the ‘aha!’ moment that unlocked the mystery

Bitcoin taken from Canadians ended up in crypto wallets controlled by ‘a hidden company.’ The fight to recoup the funds is far from over.

thestar.com

"Every media era gets the fabulists it deserves." Brilliant essay/investigation by @nickhunebrown.bsky.social into journalism scammers in the age of AI. thelocal.to/investigatin...

Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era | The Local

A suspicious pitch from a freelancer led editor Nicholas Hune-Brown to dig into their past work. By the end, four publications, including The Guardian and Dwell, had removed articles from their sites.

thelocal.to

My story on this and a whole lot more 💫 xtramagazine.com/power/politi...

The lies Danielle Smith is telling to overturn trans kids’ rights | Xtra Magazine

The Alberta government is invoking the Notwithstanding Clause to protect its three anti-trans laws from being challenged in the courts

xtramagazine.com

New from @sheilawang.bsky.social + me, with @icij.org, @lapresse.ca + @cbcradiocanada.bsky.social. A surge of unregistered firms are allowing Toronto crypto users to anonymously cash out big sums in violation of anti-money laundering law. Sheila tested it undercover: www.thestar.com/news/investi...

Inside Canada’s shadowy crypto banking system that makes it easy to facilitate ‘an unlimited amount of crime’

Reporters went undercover to expose a growing crypto-to-cash industry that is openly flouting anti-money laundering measures.

thestar.com

Inside Canada’s shadowy crypto banking system that makes it easy to facilitate ‘an unlimited amount of crime’ #Star/ICIJinvestigation

Inside Canada’s shadowy crypto banking system that makes it easy to facilitate ‘an unlimited amount of crime’

Reporters went undercover to expose a growing crypto-to-cash industry that is openly flouting anti-money laundering measures.

thestar.com