The Narwhal

Lake Superior has algae blooms, too | The Narwhal Long a threat to southern Ontario lakes, climate change is making even the coldest of the Great Lakes home for cyanobacteria — or blue-green algae

As Lake Superior warms, it's growing greenish clouds of blue-green algae, which is actually a bacteria. One researcher is tracking it himself, saying authorities aren't acting fast enough to educate the public about preventing blooms and avoiding their dangers. thenarwhal.ca/lake-superio...

Canada promises new military housing on contaminated sites | The Narwhal National Defence is building homes for military families on bases across Canada known to have toxins in the soil and water. Will they be safe?

National Defence is building homes for military families on bases known to have toxins in the soil and water. Will they be safe? Our latest newsletter: thenarwhal.ca/newsletter-m...

Southbrook winery’s trailblazing founder | The Narwhal Bill Redelmeier built Southbrook into Canada’s only winery to be certified organic, biodynamic and regenerative. He says it will take “100 little things, not one big thing” to solve the climate crisis

Natural wine trailblazer Bill Redelmeier says he's "always trying to change everybody’s mind" about sustainability. Southbrook, his winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., is now certified regenerative, as well as organic and biodynamic. thenarwhal.ca/moose-questi...

B.C. rejects full environmental assessment for Zincton ski resort | The Narwhal The proposed Zincton ski resort, located in the Slocan Valley of the Central Kootenays in B.C., will instead be reviewed by the Tourism Ministry

A proposed ski resort in B.C.'s Kootenay mountains threatens local wildlife and ecosystems, critics say. They're worried the planned review process won't capture the extent of its environmental risks. Via @sobittersosweet.bsky.social
thenarwhal.ca/zincton-ski-...

Canada’s Bill C-5: here’s what you need to know | The Narwhal Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, aims to build a lot of things in Canada — and fast. Here’s a guide to what it all means

It's an ongoing conversation from coast to coast to coast. Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, aims to build a lot of things in Canada — and fast. Here’s an updated guide to what it all means from @drewanderson.bsky.social thenarwhal.ca/bill-c-5-can...

How do you reach people who don’t believe in climate change? ShawtyAstrology wants to try.

Read our full Moose Questionnaire over on our website thenarwhal.ca/moose-questi...

National Defence plans housing on contaminated sites | The Narwhal As Canada increases military might, National Defence aims to solve its housing crunch by cleaning up sites containing PFAS, PCBs and other toxins

Facing a housing crunch, National Defence plans to build on bases across Canada. But, @leahbortskuperman.bsky.social reports, every one is contaminated with chemicals linked to cancer, heart issues and more. Can they be cleaned up enough to keep military families safe?
thenarwhal.ca/national-def...

Oil and gas subsidies in Canada, explained | The Narwhal Oil and gas subsidies in Canada amount to billions each year, including loans, tax breaks and other incentives

Billions of dollars are given to oil and gas corporations each year in the form of subsidies from governments in Canada.

Exactly how many billions is a matter of debate. And what even is a subsidy anyway? @drewanderson.bsky.social explains:

thenarwhal.ca/oil-and-gas-...

The Narwhal is a finalist for two Nonprofit News Awards The Institute for Nonprofit News recognized The Narwhal’s investigative and visual journalism as top contenders for its annual awards

🎉 Great news! The Narwhal is a finalist for two Nonprofit News Awards, in investigative and visual journalism categories. Check out our award-nominated work: thenarwhal.ca/nonprofit-ne...

A record year for Great Lakes piping plovers | The Narwhal A decades-long concerted effort by universities, zoos and government agencies is helping Great Lakes piping plovers recover

Endangered piping plovers on the Great Lakes face threats from predators, loss of habitat, people and dogs. But there’s good news this year, thanks to a decades-long restoration effort. thenarwhal.ca/great-lakes-...

Alberta covered $150M in oil and gas companies’ unpaid rent | The Narwhal Issue of oil and gas companies’ unpaid rent in Alberta is ‘intertwined’ with unpaid municipal taxes, cleanup bills: law professor

When oil and gas companies are unable, or unwilling, to pay rent they owe to landowners where they have wells, the Alberta government pays it for them.

The tab is now nearly $150 million since 2010, Sharon J. Riley reports: thenarwhal.ca/alberta-oil-and-gas-unpaid-rent-2024

First Nations react to Carney’s Bill C-5 | The Narwhal Exclamations that sounded like ‘WHAT?’ and ‘WTF!?’ followed Mark Carney’s announcement of Bill C-5 to fast-track major projects

Exclamations that sounded like ‘WHAT?’ and ‘WTF!?’ followed Mark Carney’s announcement of Bill C-5 to fast-track major projects. Our latest newsletter: thenarwhal.ca/newsletter-f...

Leah Gazan grew up chasing waterfalls ... literally | The Narwhal The Honourable Leah Gazan on her iconic Yorkie, the secret deserts of the Prairies and her multi-generational plants

Manitoba MP @leahgazan.bsky.social‬ has an iconic dog and a passion for the secret beauty of Saskatchewan. She also knows some amazing camping spots — and she shared them with @savannahridley.bsky.social: thenarwhal.ca/moose-questi...

Inside the Bill C-5 First Nations summit | The Narwhal I was at the First Nations summit on Bill C-5. It’s clear Mark Carney isn’t listening to Indigenous leaders.

First Nations have raised concerns about the Building Canada Act since it was introduced as part of Bill C-5.

As @rjjago.bsky.social found when he attended the First Nations Summit last week, the federal government isn’t ready to heed them thenarwhal.ca/first-nation...

An update on our RCMP lawsuit costs | The Narwhal In just one week, 1,600 people pitched in to raise $147,000 to cover some of the costs of The Narwhal’s press freedom lawsuit against the RCMP

Wow! More than 1,600 readers pitched in to help with the costs of our lawsuit against the RCMP, launched in response to photojournalist @amberbracken.bsky.social’s arrest while on assignment for The Narwhal.

A note of thanks from co-founder Carol Linnitt: thenarwhal.ca/rcmp-lawsuit...

Two families of beavers live in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. We wanted to find out more 🦫 #stanleypark #beavers

Proposed Sakitawak IPCA decimated by wildfire | The Narwhal Recent fires consumed all but 10% of Sakitawak IPCA, a planned Indigenous protected and conserved area in northern Saskatchewan

Here's the direct link to the story on our website too: thenarwhal.ca/sakitawak-ip...

‘Only 10% is left’: wildfires devastate proposed Indigenous protected area — The Narwhal Sakitawak was a dream to protect pristine boreal forest in Saskatchewan. Two years after half of it burned, another massive wildfire is raging

2 years ago, a massive wildfire destroyed half of Sakitawak, a proposed Indigenous protected area near the Métis community of Île-à-la-Crosse, Sask. Once again, wildfires are threatening the community— and nearly all of Sakitawak has burned. New from @michellecyca.com: apple.news/ATmQiiAw9QnC...

‘You want my consent? You improve my people’s health‘: Chief to Carney | The Narwhal Chiefs call federal summit for Bill C-5 ‘disrespectful,’ hastily planned

“You want my consent? You improve my people’s health,” chief of First Nation near oilsands tells Prime Minister Mark Carney during summit after Canada passed infrastructure fast-tracking Bill C-5. VIA @meyer.bsky.social thenarwhal.ca/bill-c-5-fir...

Managing extreme weather risk in B.C. | The Narwhal Extreme weather, fire, floods — a researcher says housing policy needs to take climate change impacts into account

Extreme weather is hitting B.C. hard every year — and where we build homes impacts our future. From managed retreat to nature-based solutions, @sobittersosweet.bsky.social looks at how communities are navigating housing and climate change. thenarwhal.ca/bc-extreme-w...

The Narwhal and Amber Bracken’s case against the RCMP, explained Here are the details you need to know about The Narwhal and Amber Bracken's lawsuit against the RCMP, filed on Feb. 13, 2023.

Unlike the RCMP and the Attorney General of Canada, we can’t draw on taxpayer dollars to fund our case. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making it possible to take on this case and defend the rights of journalists to report freely. thenarwhal.ca/bracken-rcmp...

It’s been an emotional week as we watch the donations and words of support roll in. “Freedom of the press is the lifeblood of a democratic society.” “Independent journalism is the voice of the people. It must never be silenced.” “Your fight is my fight.” thenarwhal.ca/support-press-freedom

Last week, we asked our readers to chip in $60,000 to cover some of the costs of our press freedom lawsuit against the RCMP. Never in our wildest dreams did we think more than 1,500 of you would step up, pitching in a total of … 🥁🥁🥁 … $140,000! 🎉

$300M in federal funding for massive conserved area in NWT | The Narwhal Indigenous-led conservation agreement is one of the largest in the world

Indigenous leaders and members of the federal and territorial governments met today in Yellowknife to sign an agreement releasing $300 million in funds for NWT: Our Land for the Future, which will protect an area 7 times larger than Nova Scotia. thenarwhal.ca/nwt-pfp-fund...

Canadian LNG exports could make your heating bill go up | The Narwhal The Canadian LNG export industry is ‘really late to the party — and that party is almost over’: expert

All of the promises around B.C.’s nascent liquefied natural gas, or LNG, industry are big, reporter @writermjs.bsky.social writes.
But what does it actually mean for the Canadian economy? And for your gas bills?
He asked an expert to explain: thenarwhal.ca/canadian-lng...

Welcome to the LNG capital of Canada | The Narwhal As LNG Canada completes its first shipment of supercooled natural gas, residents of Kitimat, B.C., share what it’s like to live in LNG’s shadow

Northwest B.C. reporter @writermjs.bsky.social asked Kitimat residents about life in LNG’s shadow. Plus: an update on our RCMP lawsuit costs. Our latest newsletter: thenarwhal.ca/newsletter-k...

If the court agrees that police interfered with Amber and The Narwhal’s constitutional rights, it would set an extraordinary precedent for every journalist in Canada to report freely, without fear of police interference. We think that’s worth fighting for. Do you? thenarwhal.ca/support-press-freedom

Emma Gilchrist, Amber Bracken and Carol Linnitt stand with serious expressions in front of a court building. Amber holds a document in her hands.

We decided to take the RCMP to court after photojournalist @amberbracken.bsky.social was arrested while covering tensions over the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in Wet’suwet’en territory in 2021.

The support we’ve received this week is mindblowing — and yet it only represents a fraction of the costs we need to cover for January’s five week (!) trial. Unlike the RCMP and the Attorney General of Canada, we can’t draw on taxpayer dollars to fund our case. thenarwhal.ca/support-press-freedom

We’re less than $12,000 shy of our goal to bring in $120,000 this month so we can take on one of the most powerful institutions in the country and defend Canadian journalists’ rights. Can you help us get over the finish line? thenarwhal.ca/support-press-freedom