https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-glyphosate-in-forestry-update/ Fri, 13 Feb 2026 21:03:51 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=154382 Herbicide use by the forestry sector has declined, but a group advocating for a ban says spraying even relatively small areas can have an outsized impact Ainslie Cruickshank News B.C. biodiversity forestry Illustration: Alex Boersma / The Narwhal An illustration of a helicopter flying across a young forest spraying herbicides https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-caribou-habitat-lawsuit/ Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:09:56 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=154444 Conservation groups warn ‘extinction is not accidental; it is a political choice’ as they ask the Federal Court to rule on delayed critical habitat mapping Ainslie Cruickshank News B.C. biodiversity caribou Endangered Species federal politics Photo: Ryan Dickie / The Narwhal a mother and baby caribou are seen in a forested area https://thenarwhal.ca/canada-misses-2025-conservation-target/ Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:04:33 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=153436 Ottawa says it remains committed to hitting its next conservation milestone even as it races to expand critical minerals production Ainslie Cruickshank News biodiversity climate change Critical Minerals federal politics Indigenous protected areas mining Photo: Jeremy Koreski / The Narwhal three caribou run in the snowy mountains of northern bc https://thenarwhal.ca/wildlife-disease-funding-shortfall/ Thu, 15 Jan 2026 17:51:17 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=153150 A national wildlife disease network warns persistent underfunding is leaving Canada vulnerable as threats like avian flu and chronic wasting disease continue to spread Ainslie Cruickshank News Alberta B.C. biodiversity farming Manitoba wildlife A stack of bottles with yellow caps and white labels hold cervid tissue samples that will be tested for chronic wasting disease https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-coal-mining-pollution-research-gaps/ Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=151483 In neighbouring Alberta, government scientists are producing peer-reviewed studies on the impacts of coal mining. Why isn’t B.C.? Ainslie Cruickshank News B.C. coal Elk Valley freshwater mining Photo: Jesse Winter / The Narwhal Terraced slopes of black mining waste rock at Teck's Elk Valley mines https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-stalled-coal-mine-pollution-study/ Mon, 15 Dec 2025 15:47:07 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=151112 A government scientist was prevented from speaking to the media and community groups about his research, according to 600 pages of documents obtained by The Narwhal Ainslie Cruickshank Investigation News Alberta Alberta coal mining coal freshwater Photo: Callum Gunn an aerial photo of a coal mine atop a mountain dusted with snow https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-fraser-valley-flooding/ Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:13:34 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=151008 Rising waters closed highways and forced evacuations, prompting fresh criticism that the province has been too slow to invest in flood defences despite repeated warnings since 2021 Ainslie Cruickshank News B.C. climate change farming flooding Photo: Ethan Cairns / The Canadian Press https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-railway-wildlife-collisions-reaction/ Thu, 04 Dec 2025 21:09:56 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=150321 An investigation by The Narwhal showed railways aren’t consistently meeting requirements to report wildlife strikes. The B.C. government says it wants to work with Ottawa on solutions but both governments say the other has jurisdiction Ainslie Cruickshank News B.C. biodiversity Elk Valley wildlife Photo: Leah Hennel / The Narwhal a photo of an elk carcass on train tracks with green brush on either side https://thenarwhal.ca/collision-course-highways/ Thu, 27 Nov 2025 16:36:44 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=149398 Every year, thousands of animals are killed on roads and highways. Through carefully designed fences and underpasses, conservation efforts are creating safer corridors Ainslie Cruickshank and Leah Hennel On the ground Alberta B.C. biodiversity Elk Valley solutions wildlife A photo of a car driving on highway 3 and a deer is visible standing on the side of the road https://thenarwhal.ca/collision-course-solutions/ Thu, 27 Nov 2025 02:00:27 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=149479 Wildlife deaths on Canada’s railways are tracked inconsistently and remain largely unresolved. Researchers say an early warning system could give grizzlies, elk and other animals the seconds they need to survive Ainslie Cruickshank In-Depth Alberta B.C. biodiversity solutions wildlife Photo: Niels de Nijs A photo of two grizzly bears on the railroad in Banff. One bear is looking down, the other is looking up alert. https://thenarwhal.ca/collision-course/ Thu, 27 Nov 2025 02:00:04 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=148388 Trains regularly hit wildlife but poor reporting obscures the true toll — and a government document warns railway companies ‘are impossible to work with’ Ainslie Cruickshank Investigation On the ground B.C. biodiversity Elk Valley wildlife Photo: Leah Hennel / Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia A photo of a grizzly bear running up a steep slope away from the railway tracks as a train chugs along the tracks