In-Depth

Toronto renters are too hot. Whose job is it to keep them cool?

El Niño is putting pressure on neighbourhoods that lack green space and residents that lack air conditioning, creating unequal access to places to stay cool

Story and photos by Rajpreet Sahota

Aug. 13, 2026 11 min. read

A man in a ballcap and tan sweater standing in a green field, looking off into the distance.

On the ground

‘You can’t fool the locals’: landowners push back on fracking in central Alberta

By Drew Anderson and Amber Bracken

Aug. 12, 2026 16 min. read

When a creek ran dry, farmers and ranchers started ringing alarm bells about how much...

A high-rise apartment building with the sun behind it. In the foreground, tree leaves hang down, sun shining through them

News

Too hot to stay home: why most B.C. renters remain exposed to extreme heat

By Shannon Waters and Chad Hipolito

Aug. 11, 2026 11 min. read

Five years after a deadly heat dome, most B.C. renters still don’t have a right...

An LNG flare stack is seen in the distance, framed by two houses on either in the foreground

Investigation

Inside LNG Canada’s black cloud: docs reveal B.C. regulator was warned about smoke before approvals

By Matt Simmons (Local Journalism Initiative Reporter), Wil Crisp and Marty Clemens

Aug. 10, 2026 9 min. read

One resident said he ‘wasn’t expecting black smoke,’ which can signal higher levels of toxic...

A person walks their dog against Calgary's wildfire-smoke-coloured skyline.

News

Wildfire smoke is bad for animals too — including your pets

By Julia Roeder

Aug. 10, 2026 4 min. read

Experts say the same smoky air that causes risks to human health also impacts pets...

A child in a black hoodie, a woman in sunglasses and a sundress and an older woman in a white hat smile at the camera. The older woman holds up a painting of the younger woman. All three are under a white canopy.

First Person

A graduation, a birthday — and an evacuation

By kelsie kilawna

Aug. 7, 2026 7 min. read

A celebration of three generations became a race to evacuate as a wildfire swept toward...

A fence with various warning signs about trespassing, danger and pipelines on it

News

Doug Ford pushes a Canadian pipeline as Michigan shuts down Enbridge’s Line 5 update

By Fatima Syed

Aug. 7, 2026 7 min. read

With the energy giant’s plan to tunnel under two Great Lakes put on hold, the...

A giant fireball is visible as a wildfire rips through the forest by Highway 63, 16 kilometres south of Fort McMurray, Alta on May 7, 2016. Nearly a year after the massive wildfire that devastated Fort McMurray, Alta., a climate scientist says there may be more forest fires in Canada this summer. "If the forecast's right that it's a warmer than normal summer, we'll probably have more fires," says Mike Flannigan, a meteorologist and professor in the University of Alberta's renewable resources department. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

In-Depth

Falling trees and helicopter crashes: Alberta wildfire fighters create their own support system

By Trina Moyles

Aug. 6, 2026 15 min. read

Workplace safety charges have been laid against Alberta’s Forestry Ministry over a firefighter death during...

On the ground

Interior Salish culture camps create ‘a safe haven’ amid provincial wildfires

By Santana Dreaver

Aug. 6, 2026 8 min. read

As wildfires and evacuations collide with summer culture camps in B.C., organizers are moving ahead...

An animation showing a number of posts from social media, which depict distorted and AI-generated maps of Canada.

Explainer

Canadian wildfire misinformation is mutating online, thanks to AI slop

By Michelle Cyca

Aug. 5, 2026 11 min. read

How conspiracy theories and AI-generated images are playing out during Canada’s 2026 wildfires — and...

Wildfires in Canada

More coverage

Photo: Jesse Winter / The Narwhal

Watch

@thenarwhalca

From $25 an hour to $4,995: salaries on either side of the climate crisis

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

Shorts

What changed for Ontario’s environment after Premier Doug Ford’s third election victory?

How to make a $60 air purifier as wildfires rage in Canada, Vancouver’s abandoned boats problem and more: July in review

These photos of grizzly bears are real!

The $24 billion health care cost of Canada’s wildfires

Living with wildfire: a new normal for many B.C. communities

B.C. banned all exotic cats as pets. Where will they go?

Sexy tick checks, a push for gold near Tofino, and more: June in review

Would you swim at a beach if authorities didn’t test the water quality?

Guilbeault on Carney’s climate plan: ‘He thinks that the markets are going to do it’

Inside the push to mine gold near Tofino, B.C.

DRIPA, Indigenous Guardians, the second-sunniest province and more: May in review

A bee is photographed against a coloured backdrop.

Nature’s hardest working insects – bees – are under threat

A malfunctioning LNG terminal, orphan wells, Who Pays? and more: April in review

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?

View More Videos

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. The trial recently concluded. Learn more.