The Narwhal https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 Internal documents reveal Ontario will not share endangered species plans with public https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-endangered-species-recovery-strategies/ Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=156996 The Doug Ford government will not publish guidance for bringing at-risk species back from the brink — plans that were underway when Bill 5 passed, removing requirements for recovery planning Elaine Anselmi Investigation Bill 5 Endangered Species Ontario Photo: Paul Gains An eastern wolf casts a glance backwards as it walks along a road. ‘So still, so quiet’: Lake Erie, frozen in a moment of time https://thenarwhal.ca/frozen-lake-erie-photos/ Mon, 23 Feb 2026 15:22:26 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=155130 The southernmost Great Lake froze over almost completely this month — bringing people from near and far to have a look Elaine Anselmi and Carlos Osorio Photo Essay freshwater Great Lakes Ontario Ontario cities are policing gardens and ignoring biodiversity https://thenarwhal.ca/opinion-burlington-naturalized-garden-charges/ Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:49:25 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=153317 A woman will head to court in March after the City of Burlington fined her for letting her garden grow wild. Similar cases have cropped up in other cities, raising the question of where our priorities lie Elaine Anselmi Opinion Ontario urban development Photo: Gene J. Puskar / The Associated Press A monarch butterfly takes off from a bright yellow goldenrod flower The truth about those Ring of Fire ads Ontario paid for during Blue Jays games https://thenarwhal.ca/opinion-blue-jays-ring-of-fire-ads/ Fri, 31 Oct 2025 17:29:26 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=147917 Doug Ford’s World Series advertisements might have you think mines are up and running in the remote region, but that’s far from the truth Elaine Anselmi Opinion Ontario ring of fire Photo: Mark J. Terrill / The Associated Press Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. runs behind Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani as fans watch behind them during the World Series Drawing (on) a decade of climate change in the North https://thenarwhal.ca/alison-mccreesh-arctic-travel-book/ Wed, 09 Apr 2025 10:14:59 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=135184 Artist Alison McCreesh’s latest book documents her travels around the Arctic during her 20s. In retrospect, she sees an environmental narrative that followed her Elaine Anselmi In-Depth arctic climate change Illustration: Alison McCreesh An illustration of various climate change impacts drawn across a landscape A vote for the environment: how Ontario election platforms stack up https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-election-2025-platforms-environment/ Mon, 24 Feb 2025 17:20:43 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=131844 From cup holders on trains to heat pumps for homes, and other goodies Ontario’s party leaders are promising this election Fatima Syed and Emma McIntosh and Elaine Anselmi Explainer Greenbelt Ontario Ontario Election 2025 Photo: Katherine Cheng / The Narwhal A highway cuts through farmland and green space; two contentious features of the 2025 Ontario election Ontario leaders’ debate: fact-checking all things environment — and there weren’t many https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-election-debates-2025/ Wed, 19 Feb 2025 16:24:33 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=131561 Leaders of the four main parties squared off in two debates before the 2025 Ontario election, and we listened closely for any mention of the environment Fatima Syed and Emma McIntosh and Elaine Anselmi Analysis Ontario Ontario Election 2025 Illustration: Kagan McLeod / The Narwhal Illustrations of the four Ontario party leaders, one in each corner; in red tint, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, in blue tint Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford, in green tint Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner and in orange tint NDP Leader Marit Stiles This year’s most memorable photos from Ontario https://thenarwhal.ca/memorable-ontario-photos-2024/ Tue, 24 Dec 2024 21:36:31 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=128618 Ontario bureau chief Elaine Anselmi shares behind-the-scenes reflections on some favourite photographs from 2024: lonely caribou, urban farming, tiny bees and more Elaine Anselmi Inside The Narwhal Photo Essay Ontario wildlife Photo: Christopher Katsarov Luna / The Narwhal Four loons swim near the shore of a lake. One spreads its wings, mid-takeoff What it’s like to run the 4,000-km migration route of the endangered monarch butterfly https://thenarwhal.ca/monarch-butterfly-migration-marathon-documentary/ Tue, 22 Oct 2024 11:03:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=122785 A documentary follows an Ontario group's project to run and chronicle the path of monarch butterfly migration, drawing attention to the environmental destruction that threatens biodiversity Elaine Anselmi News biodiversity Great Lakes wildlife Photo: Rodney Fuentes A single monarch butterfly on a cluster of purple blazing stars Meet Jacqueline Ronson, The Narwhal’s assistant editor https://thenarwhal.ca/jacqueline-ronson-assistant-editor/ Fri, 28 Jun 2024 12:17:21 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=110678 Between wildlife encounters, crafty creations and working ‘9 to 5’ to keep our stories clean — our new pod member has been busy already Elaine Anselmi Inside The Narwhal Photo: Jillian Miller / The Narwhal Jacqueline Ronson, The Narwhal's assistant editor, seated on a bench A threatened bird and its bedtime routine https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-threatened-chimney-swifts-roost/ Fri, 14 Jun 2024 11:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=109674 Chimney swifts cloud urban skylines in the evening in eastern Canada. But the birds are likely to become endangered if their food and dwellings aren’t protected Elaine Anselmi Photo Essay Endangered Species Two chimney swifts flying close together, one nearly on the other's back