News

The past, present and future of protecting Skeena salmon

Ten years ago, Indigenous leaders led allies in protecting Lelu Island. In Prince Rupert, B.C., this month, a group took a moment to celebrate, before facing the challenge of future stewardship

By Matt Simmons (Local Journalism Initiative Reporter)

May 26, 2026 7 min. read

Two women standing on a dock with a little water taxi behind them. They are wrapped in a blanket.

Something to celebrate

Eight years ago, my friend Emma Gilchrist and I were tiiired of the natural world being an afterthought in Canadian journalism. So we started this little unicorn of a publication. Pretty soon, The Narwhal wasn’t just our thing; it became the thing that thousands of people joined in on, nurturing and caring for it as an antidote to hopelessness and dread.

Join our eighth birthday celebration 🎉 — and help us plan for the next eight — by becoming a member today.

Become a member

Smoke billows out of smokestacks at the Syncrude Mildred Lake upgrader north of Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Explainer

Carney will give tax breaks to oil companies that capture carbon … to pump more carbon

By Drew Anderson

May 26, 2026 6 min. read

Critics warn Canada’s plan to subsidize companies that capture pollution only to use it to...

A chimney swift flies under a bright blue sky

Investigation

Ontario ministry experts raised concerns about at-risk species law changes, emails show

By Leah Borts-Kuperman (Local Journalism Initiative Reporter)

May 25, 2026 8 min. read

‘This may be seen as a way to avoid transparency, accountability and undermine public trust,’...

An aerial image of farm equipment in a field in Saskatchewan.

In-Depth

For many Canadian farmers, selling land can be more profitable than farming it

By Delaney Seiferling

May 25, 2026 8 min. read

Farmland prices are higher than ever, perhaps due to the increased interest of investors. Add...

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An illustrated graphic depicting a do-not-enter symbol on top of a solar panel.

In-Depth

It’s one of Canada’s sunniest regions, but the government isn’t banking on solar power

By Julia-Simone Rutgers

May 23, 2026 15 min. read

Canada’s second-sunniest province is running low on energy — but Manitoba is turning to fossil...

An illustration of an Etch-A-Sketch, with a drawing of a squiggly lines connecting a man on one side, with an oil well on the other and a map of Alberta in between them.

Investigation

Tracking down prominent Albertans behind delinquent oil and gas companies

By Drew Anderson

Updated May 15, 2026 15 min. read

A former prime minister, a major philanthropist and a host of developers emerge from a...

Analysis

The AI data centre boom is here. What will it mean for land, water and power in Canada?

By Savannah Ridley

Updated May 15, 2026 10 min. read

Kevin O’Leary’s plans to build the world’s biggest data centre in a drought-stricken part of...

A tiny, fuzzy western sandpiper chick is white with brown and black patterns, a black pointy beak, a round body and long, spindly legs. It lefts one leg high up as it walks, and the shot is extremely zoomed in, with beautiful detail of the moss the tiny bird walks on, showing how zoomed in it is

News

Tiny birds, and their tiny superfood, could decline due to ‘irreversible’ effects of Vancouver port expansion

By Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood and Isabelle Groc

Updated May 15, 2026 11 min. read

The Fraser estuary is a major recharging stop for western sandpipers flying up the Pacific...

A Winnipeg Transit bus flashing a "Sorry not in service" banner leaves the city transit garage. A sign outside the garage announces the new system starting June 29

In-Depth

‘Balancing act’ or ‘disaster’? Winnipeg’s transit overhaul, mapped

By Julia-Simone Rutgers and Malak Abas

Updated May 15, 2026 11 min. read

An overnight overhaul of Winnipeg Transit aimed to make riding the bus more accessible and...

Investigation

Is contamination on a Canadian Armed Forces base making employees sick?

By Leah Borts-Kuperman (Local Journalism Initiative Reporter) and Amber Bracken

Updated May 15, 2026 19 min. read

‘I took an oath that I would risk my life for what Canada stood for’:...

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

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?

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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