Who Pays?

Counting up receipts: one of Canada’s worst wildfire seasons cost at least $500M

Our analysis found $500 million in expenses directly attributable to last year’s wildfires in Manitoba — from evacuation flights to lost homes to closed business to burned power poles. The true costs are even larger

By Julia-Simone Rutgers

This story is part of Who Pays?, a series from The Narwhal looking at the intersection of the environment and the economy

April 24, 2026(Updated April 24, 2026) 18 min. read

An illustration of Canadian loonies, toonies, and twenty-dollar bills.

Who Pays?

A new series from The Narwhal

The costs of ignoring environmental protections are adding up, and chances are, you’re footing the bill. How exactly? Dive into our new series, Who Pays?

View series

Illustration of five figurines representing people of various professions. The background includes images of Canadian coins and bills

Newsletter

Introducing: Who Pays? — a Narwhal series about our climate and our wallets

By Denise Balkissoon

April 24, 2026

Links between the environment and economy in Canada can’t be ignored. We’re following the money

A man in a grey jacket stands among vineyards, with a town, lake and hills beyond

Who Pays?

How an Okanagan deep freeze left B.C.’s independent wineries with a big tax bill

By Paloma Pacheco and Aaron Hemens (Local Journalism Initiative Reporter)

April 23, 2026 15 min. read

B.C. wineries needed foreign grapes to replace a 2024 harvest decimated by extreme weather. Now,...

Who Pays?

‘In death and in debt’: how we pay for fossil fuels with our health

By Carl Meyer

April 23, 2026 12 min. read

Talk of affordability often comes down to the price at the pump. But more and...

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A MAGA Energy sign sits against an rusted old well site, surrounded by plants.

News

Alberta Energy Regulator suspends MAGA Energy 18 months after approving 170-well takeover

By Drew Anderson

April 23, 2026 2 min. read

The beleaguered company — which had described itself as in ‘survival mode’ — failed to...

A double rainbow stretches across the sky at Wasaga Beach in Ontario.

News

Will Canada protect the piping plover before it returns to Wasaga Beach?

By Fatima Syed and Will Pearson

April 22, 2026 8 min. read

The stretch of the popular southern Ontario beach used by the endangered bird is no...

The northern lights and stars light up the night sky, with a quiet lake in the foreground.

Explainer

SpaceX satellites half the size of pickup trucks are falling from the sky — every day

By Michelle Cyca

April 22, 2026 13 min. read

As space junk accumulates, astronomer Sam Lawler explains why we should be concerned about the...

A wide green farm field with yellow crop in the distance and a wide-open, cloud-flecked sky.

In-Depth

As the climate changes on the Prairies, some farmers are reaping rewards

By Delaney Seiferling

April 20, 2026 8 min. read

Warmer temperatures and prolonged drought have produced better yields for some farmers — but it’s...

An Air Canada airplane takes off from a tarmac with other airplanes on it.

Opinion

Ask a climate therapist: How do I deal with friends and family who won’t stop polluting?

By Leslie Davenport

April 21, 2026 3 min. read

A mental health professional weighs in on how to cope when your climate values conflict...

Two people in a canoe paddle toward the camera on the Seal River in northern Manitoba.

News

New ‘mosaic’ of national and provincial parks proposed in Manitoba

By Julia-Simone Rutgers

April 17, 2026 5 min. read

If approved, the Seal River Watershed, one of the world’s largest intact watersheds, could be...

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@thenarwhalca

Ontario is returning to the office. What does that mean for traffic and emissions?

Pipelines in Canada, explained

Shorts

Fire for good: First Nations are bringing back cultural burns

Floods, renewables, endangered species and more: March in review

Ontario’s FOI plans threaten your right to know

Drew Anderson explains how AI Data Centres are building built by developers in Alberta thanks to a big push in funding.

Alberta’s $100-billion AI dreams

What do fluctuating oil prices mean for Canada?

AI, the Ring of Fire and more: February in review

LNG Canada burned 1.7 million cubic metres of gas on a single day in September

An update on The Narwhal’s court case against the RCMP

Why Ontario is dealing with more traffic — and emissions

Carol Linnitt is the co-founder of The Narwhal. The Narwhal is suing the RCMP.

We’re fighting for our right to report — and your right to know

B.C. is flooding, again. We explain

B.C. says 1950s-style clear-cut logging isn’t happening anymore. Is that true?

Animals are getting killed on Canada’s railways

Piping Plovers on Wasaga Beach, in Ontario

Endangered plovers love this Ontario beach. Is the feeling mutual?

Any Ontario minister could soon have the power to create law-free zones — and decide what gets built there

POV: a reporting trip to Heiltsuk territory

Pipeline opposition took centre stage at Neil Young’s Burnaby, B.C., concert

Organic is barely a starting line, chef Michael Smith says

Chef Michael Smith keeps coming back home to P.E.I.

Could refreezing the Arctic help save its melting ice?

A screenshot of a video call for a Moose Questionnaire with ShawtyAstrology.

How do you reach people who don’t believe in climate change?

A beaver lodge animation and illustration. One beaver is inside of the lodge.

Two families of beavers live in Stanley Park…

Michelle Cyca talked about Indigenous sovereignty

Some people say Indigenous Rights are “racist,” but that’s not true

A screenshot of a video call for a Moose Questionnaire, with ShawtyAstrology in the top half and Narwhal editor Denise Balkissoon below.

“Ducks are very cute,” ShawtyAstrology says

Video thumbnail featuring Patrick Johnson, a Guardian Watchman.

Canada’s conservation goals depend on this

What’s going on around Grand Forks, B.C.?

How do you undo over 100 years of pollution?

Why are we seeing wildfires already? What causes them?

Here’s how cities can prevent flooding

North of North’s Anna Lambe is open to people growing

Here’s how one Mohawk community is dealing with a hungry beetle

There’s nothing inherently “critical” about critical minerals

Marrying a polar bear seems totally reasonable

What is the carbon tax?

Watch our in-depth explainer for more on the carbon tax

Anna Lambe has been pretty far north

Six dead birds? In this economy?

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We’re suing the RCMP to fight for press freedom

In November 2021, photojournalist Amber Bracken was arrested by the RCMP while on assignment for The Narwhal. So we launched a lawsuit to take a stand for press freedom. Now, we're in the middle of our trial.

Learn more