https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 https://thenarwhal.ca/nova-scotia-black-miners-history/ Tue, 25 Feb 2025 23:21:15 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=132129 A researcher in Canada's Atlantic region uncovers ‘striking’ similarities between the historic treatment of Black miners and modern-day attitudes toward immigrant labourers Francesca Fionda Explainer Black history environmental racism mining Newfoundland and Labrador Nova Scotia Photo: Sydney, ca. 1900. 91-602-22563 Beaton Institute / Cape Breton University A group of Black and white men stand in front of a blast furnace. The photo was taken in 1900s at the Dominion Iron and Steel Co. Plant in Sydney Nova Scotia. https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-threatened-fern-rossland-mine/ Fri, 31 May 2024 14:33:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=107643 A federal emergency order could stop a proposed open-pit mine near Rossland, B.C., but the odds are stacked against the threatened species Francesca Fionda Analysis B.C. biodiversity mining Photo: Louis Bockner / The Narwhal Mountain holly fern is known to grow in only three places in Canada, including near Rossland, B.C. Opponents of a mine proposal in the area are hoping the endangered fern can carry enough wait for the province or federal government to take a second look at the mine's environmental impact. https://thenarwhal.ca/mining-young-people-recruitment/ Thu, 04 Apr 2024 15:48:02 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=103976 Pick axes and coal dust aren’t selling a new generation on jobs in mining. Can the industry clean up its reputation — and act — to meet the demand for critical minerals? Francesca Fionda In-Depth B.C. mining Photo: Jimmy Jeong / The Narwhal A microscope lens is focused on a rock sample, with various other samples displayed on a white table around it https://thenarwhal.ca/teck-elk-valley-mine-cleanup-cost-2024/ Tue, 19 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=102885 A new report finds the price tag to treat water contaminated with selenium in the Elk Valley could be $6.4 billion — more than three times the amount reported to the B.C. government Francesca Fionda and Ainslie Cruickshank News B.C. coal Elk Valley freshwater mining Photo: Jesse Winter / The Narwhal A dump truck works at Teck's Fording River Operations coal mine, one of several mountain-top-removal coal mines in the Elk Valley near Fernie, B.C. https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-mining-liabilities-cleanup-costs-taxpayers/ Wed, 21 Feb 2024 13:59:30 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=100451 The true cost of cleaning up mine pollution in B.C. is growing, an investigation by The Globe and Mail and The Narwhal has found. If disaster strikes, taxpayers could be stuck with covering the costs Francesca Fionda and Jeffrey Jones and Chen Wang Investigation B.C. mining Mount Polley Teck Resources transboundary Photo: Chris Miller Orange liquid or acid mine drainage leaks from an opening to the closed Tulsequah Chief Mine, in British Columbia. https://thenarwhal.ca/opinion-coal-association-canada-press-freedom/ Thu, 02 Nov 2023 19:50:54 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=91908 The Narwhal was not given a media pass to the Coal Association of Canada's conference, a worrying action that threatens press freedom Francesca Fionda Opinion B.C. coal Democracy media mining natural gas Photo: Amber Bracken / The Narwhal A truck full of coal travels between coal mine sites near Wabamun, Alberta https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-emergency-diaster-management-act/ Mon, 23 Oct 2023 13:32:20 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=90478 As the climate crisis intensifies, experts weigh in on proposed changes to province's decades-old emergency legislation Francesca Fionda Analysis News B.C. climate change extreme heat flooding Indigenous Wildfire Photo: Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press A woman and children who were stranded by high water due to flooding are rescued by a volunteer operating a boat. In the backdrop, a car is almost entirely submerged in flood water. https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-mining-gitxaala-ehattesaht-case-verdict/ Wed, 27 Sep 2023 03:51:49 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=89029 The decision transforms the province’s mineral rights regime, which previously allowed almost anyone to stake a claim in First Nations territory without a duty to consult or even notify them Francesca Fionda News B.C. Democracy Indigenous Rights mining Photo: Jimmy Jeong / The Narwhal A woman stands in Indigenous regalia before a black curtain https://thenarwhal.ca/slug-races-bowen-island-bc/ Fri, 15 Sep 2023 15:04:26 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=87678 On this island in British Columbia, a longstanding tradition of slug races highlights life in the slow lane — while showing kids to care for the important, slimy creatures Francesca Fionda News B.C. climate change wildlife Photo: Uytae Lee / The Narwhal A boy holds up a box with his slug and smiles for the camera. https://thenarwhal.ca/rossland-mine-critical-minerals/ Wed, 16 Aug 2023 18:40:14 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=85291 There’s a political push to dig up minerals deemed critical for a low-carbon economy. But residents in Rossland, B.C., are resisting a new mine Francesca Fionda News B.C. environmental law mining Photo: D-03651 courtesy of the Royal BC Museum A group of miners are pictured in an underground passage at a Rossland, B.C., mine in 1898 https://thenarwhal.ca/deep-sea-mining-canada-moratorium-2/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 16:52:39 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=83214 Canada is one of the countries calling for a deep-sea mining moratorium while the international regulator debates rules for extracting minerals from the ocean floor. But Vancouver-based The Metals Company is still trying to forge ahead Francesca Fionda News mining Oceans Photo: The Metals Company Deep-sea mining vessel in moonlight on dark water; The Metals Company