Welcome to Queen’s Park Observer
It’s your favourite politician’s favourite newsletter.
This is a newsletter for people interested in everything that’s going on at the Pink Palace (so nicknamed for the pinkish hue of its sandstone facade).
The idea is to bring you in-depth coverage on the most powerful people in Ontario politics, the ins and outs of policymaking, and to shine a spotlight on the arguably underreported underbelly of political parties.
Think of it as your playbook for navigating the politics, policies and people around Queen’s Park. It’s stuff you’ve never had but always needed. And it’s become the most-read newsletter at Queen’s Park, trusted by the most powerful players in the province.
Catch up on Queen’s Park Observer’s biggest scoops so far, and read more about the premise and inspiration in this teaser post.
What a subscription gets you (and me)
Pretty much everything. By subscribing for $56.50 a month, or a discounted $565 a year (tax included), you’ll get the newsletter bright and early every day at 6 a.m. (let’s say 6-ish when the House isn’t sitting) — chock-full of scoops, the biggest headlines and expert analysis, along with dispatches from the House on legislative debates, committee proceedings, Question Period, regulatory proposals and more.
You’ll also receive regular roundups on lobbying, fundraising, polling and exclusive staff moves and events you won’t find anywhere else.
Plus, fun stuff like feature profiles, policy deep dives, Q&As and good old-fashioned insider gossip.
You won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new edition of the newsletter goes straight to your inbox. You’ll also have full access to the archive.
Subscribing is a great way to support me and this newsletter, help me hire a fact-checker and editor (I manage to get the apostrophe wrong about 50 per cent of the time when it comes to private member’s — shoot! — private members’ bills), and enable me to do my best work.
Big organization with multiple readers? Want to take out an ad? Hit me up directly for specific rates.
About Sabrina
Queen’s Park Observer is written by me, Sabrina Nanji. I’m a nine-year veteran of the Legislature’s Press Gallery. (I’m also the first woman of colour to sit on its executive. Read: I’m a huge nerd for the job and take the fight for journalistic access seriously.)
I’ve covered Ontario politics and policy since 2016, for the Toronto Star, TVO.org and Reuters, and cut my newsletter teeth at QP Briefing and Queen’s Park Today. That’s where I carved out the inside track on political reporting — igniting the idea for this newsletter.
Some of my favourite #onpoli stories include: An exclusive behind-the-scenes rundown of the Ford family wedding saga, uncovering the real spending of the 2022 election, exposing a shutterbug staffer who posed in jails, scooping Marit Stiles’ bid for NDP captain, hunting for a Liberal-friendly voter in Vaughan, the jump on the new chiefs of staff and loads more.
You might also know my previous work, featuring: breaking the news that meme machine Ontario Proud’s biggest donors were real estate developers, uncovering allegations of racism and preferential treatment in Liberal nominations, digging into family dynasties in the 2018 Tory leadership contest, and revealing a PC MPP who threw her hat in the federal political ring was elbowed out by her own provincial party.
Catch me as a regular on Newstalk 1010, CBC’s Power and Politics, CTV’s Power Play and Question Period, CP24, TVO’s The Agenda, am640 Toronto, SiriusXM’s The Daily Edition and more. I’ve also been a panelist and moderator at political and policy conferences and a guest speaker at post-secondary institutions.
I was born in Etobicoke, grew up in Brampton, went to school in Ottawa (Go Ravens!) and am now settled in Midtown Toronto, where I love to grab coffee with readers to hear their story ideas. If you’ve got something percolating, drop me a line at sabrina@qpobserver.ca.
Journalism Principles and Practices
The credibility of Queen’s Park Observer relies on research, analysis, intelligent writing and a commitment to honesty, accuracy, fairness, balance, and transparency. The following principles guide our work and ensure we remain a trusted source of accurate, balanced and ethical journalism:
Balance: Reporters must present factual and reasonable accounts of controversial stories with competing views to allow readers to form their own opinions.
Integrity: Falsifying quotes, sources, anecdotes or details is strictly prohibited. Confidential sources are used only when the public interest necessitates it and when no other means of obtaining the information is available. Corroboration from multiple confidential sources must be sought unless a single, highly reliable source is approved by the editor-in-chief. Leaked documents must be independently verified.
Accountability: Factual errors will be promptly corrected on the website and in the next email edition. Mistakes are acknowledged clearly to uphold trust.
Advertising Standards
Queen’s Park Observer provides space for diverse perspectives without endorsing the views expressed in advertisements. Here are our guidelines for sponsored content:
Neutrality: The Observer does not endorse any advertising material or views that appear in our newsletter or on our website.
Transparency: All sponsored content will be clearly demarcated to maintain the integrity of our journalism.
Content Requirements: Advertisers must fully identify themselves and provide evidence to back up any factual claims. Ads should use moderate language, present opinions constructively, and be truthful in content and overall impression.
Prohibited Content: Ads promoting illegal or harmful products; content that is hateful, misleading, conspiratorial, discriminatory or defamatory; ads that reference private individuals without consent are not allowed.
Review Process: Ads must be submitted at least 48 hours in advance for review. Ads resembling editorial content (e.g., Q+As) will be held to higher scrutiny. Queen’s Park Observer may fact-check claims and request evidence.
Right to Decline: Queen’s Park Observer may reject ads that violate these standards, applicable laws, or pose legal or reputational risks.
Time-off policy:
Each year, I take four weeks off — two in the summer and two in the winter. During some of those weeks, you’ll receive no new newsletters. But during other weeks, you’ll receive one or two roundup posts, depending on the news cycle. That way, you won’t miss any important goings-on at Queen’s Park — and the time off helps me recharge and write better stuff the rest of the year.
