The Ontario government wants to keep Premier Doug Ford’s communications a secret.

That’s the news the province squeezed in this past Friday as it revealed plans to “modernize” freedom of information (FOI) laws. The changes would block journalists and members of the public from obtaining documents, emails, call logs and other details from the premier, cabinet ministers and parliamentary assistants.

How significant would these changes be? In a word: massive. The move would slam the door on investigative journalism that was possible in Ontario specifically because these records could be obtained through FOI requests in the province.

Here’s just a sampling of investigative reporting The Narwhal has published that relied on these records:

• Our investigations into the Greenbelt scandal, which eventually prompted the Ontario government to reverse course on its cuts to the protected area (and went on to win the most prestigious journalism prize in Canada)
• Our coverage of Enbridge, which revealed its close relationship with the Ontario government as it pushes a natural gas future
• Our reporting on the inner workings on Ontario’s efforts to push ahead with Ring of Fire mining roads

This moment is a reminder of why investigative journalism matters. And we need your support now more than ever: will you be one of 230 loyal readers who helps us meet our budget by joining as a monthly or yearly member? Every dollar you give goes straight toward paying our investigative journalists.

The next 230 readers to join as monthly or yearly members will get a Narwhal tote bag — and the comfort of knowing their gift is making investigative journalism possible.

The Ontario government might not want you to know about how and why decisions are being made. But our journalists are relentless in their quest for the truth. It’s why we give our staff the time to build sources and develop beats so that even when governments try to lock us out, we have the contacts on the inside to allow us to continue holding elected officials accountable.

Freedom of information isn’t just under attack in Ontario. Federally, there’s a proposal to exempt “routine communications” from being subject to FOI requests, which could include all emails.

B.C. is plotting changes that would allow public bodies to reject FOIs they deem too broad or that would “interfere” with the work of government. And last year, the Alberta government passed a law allowing it to suppress more factual information, more often, and to release it more slowly.

I’m here to tell you these government efforts to keep information out of view only strengthen the resolve of The Narwhal’s journalists. But we need your help: we have to add 230 new members this month to make our budget work.

Will you step up today to help us break stories you won’t find anywhere else? Bonus: join at any recurring amount and you’ll get a Narwhal tote bag as our way of saying thanks.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

The Narwhal’s explainer on the tumultuous and surprising downfall of British Columbia’s carbon tax has been recognized with an award from the Canadian Association of Journalists.

B.C. politics and environment reporter Shannon Waters’ story, What on earth just happened with B.C.’s carbon tax?, received the award for daily excellence at a ceremony on Saturday in Calgary. The awards gala concluded the annual conference of the Canadian Association of Journalists.

What on earth just happened with B.C.’s carbon tax?

Waters’ winning story chronicled the rise and fall of the controversial consumer price on carbon in B.C., when Premier David Eby — a formerly staunch supporter of the so-called carbon tax — suddenly announced at a news conference last September that he would eliminate it. His flip-flop became the biggest political story of the moment, at a time when “axe the tax” was the slogan dominating both provincial and federal discussions of carbon pricing. The piece was edited by Sarah Cox.

“We are lucky at The Narwhal to regularly get to work on award-quality journalism. This is only possible because of the support of our readers and members,” Lindsay Sample, who leads the B.C. bureau says. “I’m proud of Shannon and everyone who was recognized.” 

At the ceremony, Waters shared her delight at being included among the category’s finalists, which included CBC’s The National, the Halifax Examiner, the Hamilton Spectator and Radio-Canada Info. 

“I think a lot of people were very surprised, maybe particularly in B.C., with what happened with the carbon tax,” said Waters, who had expected “a completely different story” to come out of the news conference she attended in September, when Eby made his sudden announcement.

To her fellow political reporters in the room at the gala, Waters expressed her appreciation and said, “I think what we do is very important — even if sometimes, the people who are the subjects of our stories would much rather we didn’t do it at all.” 

The Narwhal was recognized as a finalist in three other categories. Former Ontario reporter Emma McIntosh was nominated in the freedom of information category for her investigation into how an oil spill in northwest Toronto made its way to Lake Ontario. 

The Narwhal picks up four Canadian Association of Journalists award nominations

In the photojournalism category, Narwhal contributor Gavin John was recognized for a portfolio of his work. His assignments for The Narwhal included documenting the work of the Blackfeet guardians to revitalize buffalo on their territory, and an assignment in Kneehill County, Alta., to document the local resistance to renewable energy projects.

A collaboration between The Narwhal and The Local was also a finalist in the community news category. Reporter Wency Leung examined the green reputation of an Ontario-based waste management company, which masked a troubled history of environmental impacts and regulatory issues.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

We’re thrilled to share that The Narwhal has picked up four award nominations from the Canadian Association of Journalists for our investigative, in-depth and visual journalism!

Our nominated work, with reporting from the coast of B.C. to the prairies to the Great Lakes, earned finalist selections after judges whittled down a record 540 submissions for this year’s CAJ Awards.

“I am so proud of all of the reporters and the hard work our whole team puts into telling these important stories,” executive editor Denise Balkissoon said. “This is such a wide range of nominations — breaking news, well-thought-out interactives, freedom of information digging and beautiful photography. It really shows what a powerhouse our little newsroom is — a newsroom that’s thriving because of the 6,800 members who give what they can to support independent journalism.”

B.C. biodiversity reporter Ainslie Cruickshank was nominated for the environment and climate change award for her portrait of pollution around the Burrard Inlet, Canada’s busiest port. As Ainslie reported, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation is intent on rewriting provincial policy to protect Burrard Inlet from industrial waste. But a leaked video of a coal spill illustrates the challenges with enforcement. Her piece brought together on-the-ground interviews and an interactive map of the inlet’s 21 legal polluters.

A portrait of pollution around Canada’s busiest port

Ontario reporter Emma McIntosh was nominated in the freedom of information category for her investigation into how an oil spill in northwest Toronto made its way to Lake Ontario. Incident reports obtained by Emma raised questions about what the province told the public, with key details about the extent of the sludge leak — the brown plume, the emulsified oil, the distance the contamination travelled — left undisclosed until her story was published. 

‘Containment breached’: how an oil spill in northwest Toronto made its way to Lake Ontario

B.C. politics and environment reporter Shannon Waters was nominated in the daily excellence category for her reporting on what on earth happened with B.C.’s carbon tax, as Premier David Eby flip-flopped and vowed to remove the province’s consumer price on carbon. Shannon’s story explains why B.C.’s carbon tax was created in the first place and how it never really realized its full potential.

What on earth just happened with B.C.’s carbon tax?

Photographer Gavin John was nominated in the photojournalism category for a portfolio of work for The Narwhal and The Globe and Mail. Gavin’s assignments for The Narwhal included a cross-border trip in Alberta and Montana to capture the efforts of Blackfeet guardians to bring back the buffalo jump and revitalize traditional hunts. Gavin also travelled to Kneehill County, Alta., to document the local resistance to renewable energy projects, for a two-part Narwhal series.

Wind resistance: meet the Albertans protesting renewables in their backyards

An investigation produced as part of a collaborative series between The Local and The Narwhal was also nominated for the Hugo Rodrigues Award for Community News. The Local’s Wency Leung was recognized for her investigation into GFL, the Ontario-based waste management company that says it’s “Green For Life” — but its neighbours disagree.

This waste management company says it’s ‘Green For Life’ — its neighbours disagree

The Narwhal’s work is being recognized alongside journalism from The Canadian Press, La Presse, Radio-Canada, The Tyee, IndigiNews, Ricochet Media, Reuters, The Globe and Mail, CBC, The Halifax Examiner, The Hamilton Spectator, APTN, Climate Disaster Project and Neworld Theatre.

Winners will be announced at the Canadian Association of Journalists awards gala in Calgary at the end of May.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

Get the inside scoop on The Narwhal’s environment and climate reporting by signing up for our free newsletter.

They say herding cats is hard, but have you tried organizing two dozen journalists scattered across a vast country? Kyla Fitzgerald has welcomed the challenge. 

Kyla is, and has been, many things: an oral historian, logistics wizard and lover of trash TV. The connective tissue, through it all, is people. “I’ve always been a people person,” she says. “I love to talk to people and I’ve always been curious about people.”

As The Narwhal’s membership and operations coordinator, Kyla’s diverse talents support the team and, critically, the growing community of more than 6,500 members who make our work possible with financial support. 

“Those people are just the lifeline — they’re the lifeline of any organization. I’m really excited to help them and make them feel more connected to the organization.”  

I chatted with Kyla about how she found a greater purpose in working with people, and the path that brought her into our pod.

Hearing stories directly from people directly affected by an issue “hits your soul in a different way,” Kyla says. Photo: Jillian Miller / The Narwhal

The work you do to support the team and wider community at The Narwhal is pretty heroic. What’s your superhero origin story?

I was in high school and — really cool — I got to go to an anti-bullying, anti-racism camp that used storytelling as a vehicle to elucidate various global topics and show how certain historical events had impacted people, and how they built resilience. They covered things like the Rwanda genocide, Holocaust survivors, victims of bullying, gay rights activism.

You could see the people for who they were, it wasn’t this arm’s-length way of learning about something. I got very, very passionate about human rights and community mobilization and education. And I was young and energetic and hopeful and optimistic about the world, so it was the perfect time to really go out there.

There are some parallels between The Narwhal’s journalism and work you’ve previously done as an oral historian. Can you tell me more about that?

I was offered a research fellowship in grad school, and I knew I didn’t want to spend that time by myself in a library. One option was to join an oral history project, and so I started working with the Japanese Canadian community, because this project looked at their experiences of being forcibly uprooted and interned during the Second World War. 

We were looking at multi-generational experiences over time. So, looking at how older generations are communicating their past, or not, and then how those later generations are trying to understand and reconcile the very complicated history that has impacted their family. 

It was this very humbling experience, being able to go into somebody’s home and listen to their often very challenging story. But it was always such a privilege to be able to capture that for them, and learn about their history and learn about their experiences. It’s part of the reason why I really also connected with The Narwhal. Because when you work with people that closely and you see it on the frontlines so intimately, it just hits your soul in a different way.

It’s clear you have a passion for people and their stories. What made you want to bring your skills and experience to The Narwhal?

I’ve been familiar with The Narwhal since its inception. And, in a previous role, I shared an office with The Narwhal in Victoria. There was a print edition of the magazine that was sitting on our coffee table, and I was really drawn to the photography and artistic design. 

I love the long-form investigation work — I remember so clearly reading the Pacific Wild investigation. I think that really tapped into the broader values and vision of The Narwhal — stories that are bold, that are asking questions that maybe people aren’t always comfortable with, but are stories worth telling. Even though I had never worked in journalism, I feel like there’s a kinship in my own journey and the type of work that The Narwhal has always strived to do.

Kyla‘s passion for people and their stories extends to the messy and complicated — including portrayals on ”trash” reality TV. Photo: Jillian Miller / The Narwhal

What’s something that excites you about this role? 

I’m really excited to help the internal team make this place the best that it can be, but also run the most efficiently: if you have tech problems, or — what clunky processes do we have that we can just make smoother and make everyone’s lives easier? I secretly nerd out on that stuff. 

And, outside of work, what gets you really amped? 

I love live music. I try to go to as many concerts as possible. I have a very overactive brain; live music is one of the few places where I can truly be in the present, and in the moment, and my brain just turns off.

I’m also a huge advocate of trash TV. I am begrudgingly still watching Vanderpump Rules — post scandal. Basically two of the main characters that were both in very serious relationships with two other cast members were secretly having an affair. It really exploded. And the latest season has been the aftermath.

And now there’s a rather controversial spinoff called The Valley, with previous cast members who had been kicked off for very egregious behavior both on- and off-camera. It’s very bizarre to watch because they were in their early 20s when they started but now they’re all in their 40s, having kids and living in the suburbs. But there’s still this insidious energy: we need to manufacture drama, we need to have chaos. It’s been a bit tough to work through but I’m committed.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

The Narwhal’s response to the fallout from Canada’s Online News Act has taken home an innovation award from the Institute for Nonprofit News, a network of more than 450 independent media organizations that includes only a handful of Canadian members. 

The INNovator Award, which The Narwhal won in the medium division, highlights work that has a positive financial impact on a newsroom and will help serve its community or audience into the future.

Last summer, when the federal government passed the Online News Act, Meta and Google both threatened to block all news content for users in our country. Instead of panicking, we saw an opportunity to start building more direct relationships with our audience.

Those efforts turned out to be pretty successful: thousands of you signed up for our newsletter and hundreds became members of The Narwhal.

The honour from the Nonprofit News Awards recognizes the efforts of co-founder Carol Linnitt, audience engagement editor Karan Saxena and, well, me, our director of audience.

It’s a thrill to earn this award for finding ways to not only survive, but thrive, as a sustainable news organization in turbulent times.

Despite platforms like Facebook and Instagram permanently blocking news in Canada, The Narwhal’s journalism is being read by more people than ever — all while being supported by a growing number of members, now counting 6,500, who support us with a monthly or annual donation.

(You can hear more about how we’re connecting with audiences in this interview I did with CBC’s On The Coast.)

The fellow INNovator Award finalist in the medium division was Documented NY, for its audience research to connect with Caribbean and Chinese immigrants of New York. 

More ways you can stay connected with The Narwhal

• Sign up for our free newsletter
• Subscribe to our RSS feeds
• Follow us on Twitter, Mastodon and Bluesky
• Follow our channels on Apple News and Flipboard

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

Get the inside scoop on The Narwhal’s environment and climate reporting by signing up for our free newsletter.

The Narwhal’s visual storytelling and collaborative reporting have earned three nominations for the 2024 Webster Awards, which recognize the best of journalism in British Columbia.

Nourish, a series highlighting the work of First Nations bringing food sovereignty back to the table, is a finalist for excellence in innovative journalism. 

With IndigiNews, we co-published an on-the-ground feature about the rematriation of a stolen totem pole to the Nisg̱a’a Nation, which is up for an award for excellence in arts and culture reporting.

And The Narwhal’s collaborative investigation with The Globe and Mail into B.C.’s multimillion-dollar mining problem earned a Webster nomination for excellence in business reporting.

“From the get-go, our vision with The Narwhal was to bring environment reporting out of the margins and into the mainstream,” co-founder and editor-in-chief Emma Gilchrist said.

“Partnerships like this are the future of public-interest journalism, allowing organizations to share complementary skills, pool resources and reach wider, more diverse audiences.”

For the investigation, The Narwhal’s Francesca Fionda teamed up with The Globe’s Jeffrey Jones and Chen Wang to examine the growing cost of cleaning up pollution from mines in B.C. — a problem that could leave taxpayers on the hook if disaster strikes. B.C. bureau lead Lindsay Sample and photographer Chris Miller also helped make the story shine.

The Narwhal and IndigiNews collaborated to tell the story of the Wilps Ni’isjoohl memorial pole’s return to the Nisg̱a’a Nation. Photo: Marty Clemens / The Narwhal

Illustrations by Karlene Harvey helped bring Nourish, a series on Indigenous food sovereignty, to life.

None of this award-nominated work would be a reality without the more than 6,500 members of The Narwhal who allow us to chart new paths for public-interest reporting, all while telling stories that would otherwise go untold.

The five-part Nourish series, with on-the-ground reporting by Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood and Ainslie Cruickshank, shone light on efforts to save salmon and restore other critical food resources everywhere from Babine River in northern B.C. to Secwepemc territory in Interior B.C. to Tsleil-Waututh territory in the Lower Mainland.

The series, made possible with support from the Real Estate Foundation of BC, also featured a live webinar exploring what sovereignty looks like in the face of climate change.

Nominees for Nourish also included illustrator Karlene Harvey and photojournalists Jesse Winter, Marty Clemens and Jennifer Gauthier. The Narwhal’s Michelle Cyca, Lindsay Sample, Karan Saxena, Matt Simmons and Shawn Parkinson were also among the nominees.

The collaborative story with IndigiNews on the totem pole rematriation, with reporting by Simmons and Cara McKenna and photos by Clemens, also took home top honours for arts and entertainment reporting at this year’s National Newspaper Awards.

Other outlets nominated alongside The Narwhal in the three Webster categories include The Globe and Mail, Global BC, CBC Vancouver, Fraser Valley Current, The Tyee and The Climate Disaster Project.

Narwhal assistant editor Jacqueline Ronson was among the nominees for The Wren’s nomination in the Websters’ legal journalism category for a piece on the buried history of Tranquille.

Winners will be announced at a Webster Awards gala in Vancouver at the end of October.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

We probably don’t have to tell you: the past year has been a pretty wild one for the news industry in Canada. 

Last summer, when the Canadian government passed the Online News Act, Meta and Google both threatened to block all news content for users in our country. Instead of panicking, we saw an opportunity to start building more direct relationships with our audience.

Those efforts turned out to be pretty successful: thousands of you signed up for our newsletter and hundreds became members of The Narwhal.

Now, we’ve earned an INNovator Award nomination from the Institute for Nonprofit News, a network of more than 450 independent news organizations, including only a handful of Canadian members. 

The award, which we’re nominated for alongside Documented NY, recognizes work that has a positive financial impact on a newsroom and will help serve its community or audience into the future.

It’s a thrill to be nominated — an acknowledgement of how we can find ways to not only survive, but thrive, as a sustainable news organization in turbulent times.

And with social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram now permanently blocking news in Canada, and the growing concerns around Google search traffic in the wake of its AI push, the lessons we’ve learned about strengthening connections with readers and members are proving invaluable (stay tuned for more engagement efforts on that front!).

Thank you, Narwhals, for reading and supporting our independent journalism.

More ways you can stay connected with The Narwhal

• Sign up for our free newsletter
• Subscribe to our RSS feeds
• Follow us on Twitter, Mastodon and Bluesky
• Follow our channels on Apple News or Flipboard

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

You hear the cry constantly: journalism is in crisis.

But when something gets repeated so much, it starts to lose its meaning. So why don’t we give you some facts to keep in your back pocket for a dinner party?

Just 37 per cent of Canadians have trust in news. That’s down from 58 per cent in 2018.

Four in 10 feel worn out by the amount of news.

Half the country isn’t willing to pay anything for online news.

Pretty bleak, huh? And that’s before I mention that of the 15 per cent of people in Canada who pay for online news, most contribute to just a single publication — with 43 per cent subscribing to foreign outlets like the New York Times and only 10 per cent contributing to a local news source.

As I pored over the massive 2024 Reuters Institute Digital News Report this week, I found one piece of hope: 37 per cent of people in Canada who don’t pay for online news are willing to give something each month.

Another reason I have hope? In the 10 days since we launched The Narwhal’s June membership drive, 250 readers have stepped up to become monthly or annual members. That’s 250 of you who might have made a regular contribution to a Canadian news organization for the very first time. 

If you’ve been meaning to contribute to The Narwhal, please sign up today — it only takes two minutes, and we’re just 50 members away from reaching our June membership goal.

At a time when trust in news is at an all-time low, you haven’t lost your trust in us. In fact, trust in The Narwhal’s journalism has grown every year, as more people read and support our independent reporting on the most pressing environment and climate issues of our time.

But the reality is only a tiny fraction of people who read The Narwhal’s stories make the leap with a tax-deductible donation to support our non-profit journalism. 

Here at The Narwhal, we don’t run any ads and we don’t put up a paywall. We believe our public-interest journalism should be free for all to read, regardless of whether you have the financial means. 

That commitment relies on our trust in readers like you: that enough of you who do have the means, will find value in our work and give whatever they can afford — say, the cost of a cup of coffee a month.

We still need to add 50 new members this month to make our budget work. If you believe in the power of independent journalism, will you help us buck the trend and not only survive, but thrive, for years to come?

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

The Narwhal’s relentless reporting on the influence of the Canadian oil and gas industry has been recognized with an award from the Canadian Association of Journalists.

Climate investigations reporter Carl Meyer took home the national award in the online media category at a gala in Toronto on Saturday for a piece that examined the climate pledges of the Pathways Alliance of oilsands companies.

Meyer’s award-winning story — Are Canadian oilsands companies working to save the planet or save face? — was just one of his many meaty investigations into how the oil and gas lobby works to sway public opinion and government policy. 

“It’s a thrill to see Carl’s work honoured on a national stage,” The Narwhal’s managing editor Mike De Souza said. “Every day, I watch his tireless efforts to follow the money and documents at the heart of the climate crisis. Line by line, he has uncovered secrets and raised awareness about what lobbyists discuss with government officials behind the scenes.”

“None of this work would happen if not for our over 6,000 Narwhal members who donate whatever they can, so I’d also like to thank them for helping them make climate investigations possible.”

Other Canadian Association of Journalists award finalists in the online media category included journalists with stories published by independent news outlets Ricochet Media and The Independent as well as Radio-Canada.

The Narwhal’s work was nominated in five other categories, from photojournalism to human rights reporting.

Photojournalist Amber Bracken, a regular contributor to The Narwhal, took home the environment and climate change award along with Brandi Morin for work done with Ricochet and IndigiNews.

Another Narwhal contributor, Moira Donovan, won the written feature award for work published in Hakai Magazine.

The McGillivray Award, the Canadian Association of Journalists’ recognition of the best investigative journalism from 2023, went to the Montreal Gazette’s Aaron Derfel for his reporting on the health care system.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

Our pod at The Narwhal is celebrating eight 2023 Digital Publishing Awards, including the prestigious emerging excellence award for Ontario reporter Emma McIntosh, after an awards ceremony in Toronto last Friday.

The eight medals, which included four golds and four silvers, put our independent media outlet in a tie with Radio-Canada and its journalism lab for the most awards of any news organization in Canada. And on the same evening, The Narwhal also took home a gold at the National Magazine Awards.

In awarding the emerging excellence prize, the Digital Publishing Awards jury praised McIntosh for the impact of her reporting, including investigations into the Ford government’s cuts to the Greenbelt.

“Her reporting for The Narwhal has made politicians and policymakers sit up and take notice,” the jury wrote. “And at a time when many of us are probably experiencing climate fatigue, she’s making readers sit up and take notice too. Her reporting could serve as a model for how to do journalism that stands out in an age of information overload. And we can’t wait to see what she does next.”

Judges said Emma McIntosh’s reporting could serve as an example of how to do impactful journalism that “stands out in an age of information overload.” Photo: Christopher Katsarov Luna / The Narwhal

The Narwhal’s turnout at the Digital Publishing Awards points to the impact of non-profit, reader-funded journalism, executive editor Carol Linnitt said. “Our team is tiny when compared to traditional newsrooms across Canada and these awards show the outsized influence a relatively small player can have in the journalism industry.” 

“The Narwhal exists to serve the public interest and we have passion to make public-interest reporting impactful, beautiful and award-worthy. We are so proud of our team for their diligence and it’s incredible to see their work — and the work of the talented freelancers we collaborate with — acknowledged by our peers in this way.”

The Narwhal’s seven other medals at the awards gala spanned everything from feature storytelling to photography to design.

Our interactive, data-driven spotlight of the work of Indigenous Guardians, penned by reporter Jimmy Thomson, took home the gold medal for best feature article. The story, and The Narwhal’s online presentation, also won silver for best digital design.

Northwest B.C. reporter Matt Simmons’ feature on a fish camp connecting Nisg̱a’a youth to the land won gold in the arts and culture storytelling category.

Kate Mussett with UBC’s Centre for Indigenous Fisheries teaches Nisga’a youth how to test water samples as part of a three-day oolichan science camp. Photo: Marty Clemens / The Narwhal

Photojournalist Dustin Patar and Narwhal editor Elaine Anselmi won gold for best photo storytelling for capturing the work of scientists making sense of a fading Arctic landscape.

The Narwhal’s feature reporting was recognized with silver medals in three separate categories. Manitoba reporter Julia-Simone Rutgers, whose position is part of a partnership with the Winnipeg Free Press, won for her piece about Peguis First Nation’s battles with floods, tying for silver with The Globe and Mail. Biodiversity reporter Ainslie Cruickshank won in the long feature category for her cross-border look at the environmental impacts of B.C. coal mining in both Canada and the U.S. And Simmons also took home a silver for his short feature on a Wet’suwet’en salmon celebration.

In addition to the eight Digital Publishing Awards, The Narwhal also took home a gold medal Friday at the National Magazine Awards in the photo essay and photojournalism category. Ian Willms was recognized for his piece in The Narwhal capturing the life and death of Warren Simpson, a man who worked in the oilsands and believed his rare cancer was caused by pollution from industry.

“The Narwhal is one of Canada’s leading non-profit newsrooms and the reason we are able to produce such high-quality journalism is thanks to our generous members,” Linnitt said. “More than 6,000 individuals donated to The Narwhal last year and they should all take pride in these national awards. We couldn’t do our work at this calibre without them.”

The Narwhal’s work was also recognized with four honourable mentions at the National Magazine Awards and another six at the Digital Publishing Awards.

Other big winners at the Digital Publishing Awards included CBC with seven awards and The Globe and Mail with six. Winners also included fellow independent outlets such as The Local, which took home general excellence in digital publishing for small publications, while Xtra Magazine won in the medium category. The Globe won for general excellence for large publishers.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.

Judges for Canada’s Digital Publishing Awards have recognized The Narwhal with 14 nominations — the second-most of any news organization — just two days after our work earned five finalist selections at the National Magazine Awards.

Highlights from the Digital Publishing Awards include a whopping four Narwhal nominations in the best feature article category, three selections for our multimedia piece on the conservation work of Indigenous Guardians and an emerging excellence nomination for Ontario reporter Emma McIntosh.

At the National Magazine Awards, The Narwhal’s photojournalism earned two nominations while a feature on the plight of endangered plovers garnered two nods of its own.

“The Narwhal is a small publication on the Canadian media landscape but these nominations show we punch far above our weight,” said Carol Linnitt, co-founder and executive editor of The Narwhal. “The reason we’re able to pull off such high-quality reporting is because of the thousands of individuals who generously support our non-profit newsroom and the award-winning work our team is known for.”

The Narwhal’s 14 nominations at the Digital Publishing Awards, including one for a co-production with the Winnipeg Free Press, matched the tally for Radio-Canada, while The Globe and Mail led the pack with 24. Independent outlets, including our friends at The Local and The Tyee, were among those to be named finalists for general excellence in digital publishing.

In addition to this week’s nominations, The Narwhal is also up for four National Newspaper Awards at a gala this Friday. Last month, we took home an award for human rights reporting from the Canadian Association of Journalists, while the Canadian Journalism Foundation awarded us for our digital innovation.

“These days, we often hear there is no appetite for in-depth and longform journalism, especially about difficult topics like the environment,” Linnitt said. “But our audience and our members prove that wrong. Everyday people are actually the unsung heroes behind these awards and nominations.”

Here’s a rundown of our nominations at the Digital Publishing Awards and National Magazine Awards.

The Narwhal’s Digital Publishing Awards nominations

Best Digital Editorial Package

Jimmy Thomson’s data-driven feature, on the Indigenous Guardians reinforcing sovereignty and science along the coast of B.C., was recognized here and in two other categories. The immersive piece, a true team effort packed with visuals and an interactive map, was made possible with support from the Pulitzer Center and Humber College.

Contributors: Jimmy Thomson, Carol Linnitt, Shawn Parkinson, Arik Ligeti, Ashley Tam

Journalist Jimmy Thomson visited Wuikinuxv territory to report out his feature on Indigenous guardians. The Big House is the ceremonial centre of the Wuikinuxv village. Photo: Jimmy Thomson / The Narwhal

Best Feature Article 

Reporter Ashley Okwuosa was nominated for her on-the-ground reporting about a former General Motors plant in St. Catharines leaking toxic chemicals. (Contributors: Ramona Leitao, Denise Balkissoon, Mike De Souza)

The Narwhal’s Prairies reporter Drew Anderson earned a nod for his piece on the town of Lehigh, a flood-prone Alberta community that is being shuttered amid the worsening effects of climate change. (Contributors: Leah Hennel, Sharon J. Riley, Emma Gilchrist)

Thomson’s interactive feature on Indigenous guardians was also nominated here. (Contributors: Carol Linnitt, Shawn Parkinson, Arik Ligeti, Ashley Tam)

Manitoba reporter Julia-Simone Rutgers, whose joint position at The Narwhal and the Winnipeg Free Press is made possible with support from the Winnipeg Foundation, was nominated for her feature on residents of Peguis First Nation facing an impossible choice as they tackled another major flood. (Contributors: Aaron Vincent Elkaim, Mike De Souza, Scott Gibbons)

Best Feature Article (Short)

Northwest B.C. reporter Matt Simmons garnered a nod for his piece capturing a Wet’suwet’en celebration of the return of salmon during precarious times for the keystone species — a story that was later republished on The Weather Network.

Contributors: Lindsay Sample, Emma Gilchrist

Best Feature Article (Long) 

Ainslie Cruickshank’s cross-border reporting, on how Canadian coal mines threaten fish at the heart of communities from B.C. to Idaho, was nominated in the long feature category. Read more about how the piece came together.

Contributors: Carol Linnitt, Jesse Winter, Emma Gilchrist

Reporter Ainslie Cruickshank speaks with Erin Sexton, a research scientist at the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station, on the Koocanusa Reservoir just above Libby Dam in Montana. Photo: Jesse Winter / The Narwhal

Best Personal Essay 

Agriculture journalist Jay Whetter was nominated for his story in The Narwhal reflecting on his family farm and the long history of Indigenous people who shaped farming on the Prairies.

The Narwhal’s editor-in-chief, Emma Gilchrist, was nominated for her piece in The Globe and Mail on the harrowing, heartbreaking reality of terminating a pregnancy for medical reasons.

Best Arts & Culture Storytelling

Simmons also picked up a nod for his look at how an oily fish is connecting Nisg̱a’a youth to the land.

Contributors: Marty Clemens, Lindsay Sample, Emma Gilchrist

Best Service Feature

Simmons and art director Shawn Parkinson were nominated for visual explainer mapping the complicated truth about pipelines crossing Wet’suwet’en territory.

Contributors: Lindsay Sample, Arik Ligeti

Best Digital Design 

The Narwhal picked up a nomination for best digital design for its website, including the presentation work that went into Thomson’s feature on Indigenous Guardians.

Contributors: Jimmy Thomson, Emma Gilchrist, Carol Linnitt, Christian Desjardins, Arik Ligeti, Shawn Parkinson, Ashley Tam

Best Photo Storytelling

Photojournalist Dustin Patar and editor Elaine Anselmi were nominated for a stunning look at a search for answers after a giant Arctic ice shelf collapse. Patar also won the CJF-Edward Burtynsky Award for Climate Photojournalism for his Arctic work.

Photojournalist Dustin Patar visited the North to document the efforts of researchers studying the loss of a Manhattan-sized piece of the Milne Ice Shelf. Photos: Dustin Patar

Best Editorial Newsletter

The Narwhal’s 2022 Ontario election newsletter, Political Climate, earned a nomination for best editorial newsletter. Penned by Ontario bureau chief Denise Balkissoon, the limited-run newsletter was a massive team effort.

Contributors: Denise Balkissoon, Shawn Parkinson, Emma McIntosh, Fatima Syed, Arik Ligeti, Karan Saxena, Mike De Souza, Elaine Anselmi

Emerging Excellence Award

Ontario reporter Emma McIntosh was named as a finalist for the Emerging Excellence Award for her commitment to bringing climate stories to the forefront in the province, while working collaboratively to break big investigations.

The Narwhal’s National Magazine Awards nominations

Long-Form Feature Writing

Ontario reporter Fatima Syed was nominated for her captivating feature on the plover, a tiny and endangered bird in the crosshairs of a conflict between nature and tourism at Sauble Beach. 

Contributors: Denise Balkissoon, Elaine Anselmi

Our piece on endangered piping plovers earned nominations for long-form feature writing and illustration at the National Magazine Awards. Illustration: Hayden Maynard / The Narwhal

Feature Writing

McIntosh was nominated here too for a feature on the plight of the last, lonely caribou of Lake Superior.

Contributors: Denise Balkissoon, Emma Gilchrist

Illustration

Illustrator Hayden Maynard was nominated for his clever work capturing the plovers and tourists at Sauble Beach.

Photo Essay & Photojournalism

Ian Willms’ profound witnessing of the life and death of Warren Simpson — and the impacts of Alberta’s oil industry on the people of Fort Chipewyan — was nominated here. Willms recently won a human rights reporting award for this piece. 

Patar was also nominated at the National Magazine Awards for his piece on a fading Arctic icescape.

Long-Form Feature Writing and Investigative Reporting

Narwhal editor Michelle Cyca was nominated twice, in the long-form feature writing (6,000-plus words) and investigative reporting categories, for her cover story in Maclean’s on the curious case of Gina Adams.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.