Our Meeting With Colin D'Mello

Back in March, we had the pleasure of meeting Colin D’Mello, President of the Queen's Park Press Gallery, Queen’s Park Bureau Chief at Global News Toronto and host of Focus Ontario.  

Colin is truly passionate about his career in reporting, and takes the responsibility of being the eyes and ears at Queen’s Park and keeping Ontarians informed about everything going on at the legislature very seriously. Colin imparted the significance of the press gallery in “touching the fabric of society” and being a “fundamental pillar of democracy.”  

Our meeting took place at an interesting moment in time, soon after the Ontario provincial election had wrapped up, and just before the federal liberal leadership race came to an end. This made for many exciting topics of conversation! 

In terms of advice, Colin stressed the importance of listening acutely, safeguarding trust, and being friendly and conversing with as many people as possible. He advised us to pay close attention to small changes in policy, as these represent the seeds of policy shifting. He also emphasized the value of relationships and building trust, particularly in the media and political landscape.  

We’re grateful that Colin took the time to stop by, speak with us and answer our many questions on Queen’s Park reporting! We often see Colin at scrums and running around Queen’s Park when the legislature is in session and look forward to seeing him again when the House resumes!