Julia-Simone Rutgers
Manitoba Reporter
@jsrutgers 
Julia-Simone Rutgers is The Narwhal’s Manitoba reporter. Her position is part of a partnership with the Winnipeg Free Press. She joined The Narwhal after writing daily news for the Winnipeg Free Press and the Star Metro Halifax. She was also the first writer in residence at The Walrus, and has a smattering of bylines in The Globe and Mail, the Coast and the Discourse. Though she has lived on both coasts, she grew up in Calgary and feels most at home lounging on riverbanks under the wide-open Prairie skies. In her spare time, she dabbles in music making, visual art curation, writing poetry and exploring the forests, fields, lakes and rivers the province has to offer. Her role is made possible thanks to funding from The Winnipeg Foundation.
Stories by Julia-Simone Rutgers
(Industry) Friendly Manitoba
On a Sunday in March, when the gas stations ran dry in Winnipeg, people had...
Falling behind: oversight ‘gaps’ for 5,000 km of pipeline in Canada’s little-known oilpatch
9 min. readThe shutdown of a major pipeline in Manitoba has the government reckoning with gaps in...
From farms to high rises, grants support Manitoba transition from fossil fuels
The federal and provincial governments announced millions in new funding geared at reducing carbon pollution....
Millions of litres spilled and not a single fine: 16 years in a little-known Canadian oilpatch
Manitoba’s environment minister says the ‘decimation’ of her department under the previous government led to...
The government didn’t formally inspect a crucial pipeline for years. Then came the safety concerns
Documents show that though inspectors visited Winnipeg’s main fuel line a handful of times, there...
Manitoba is on the Canadian frontlines of an invasive species battle. Can it hold the line?
From canine units to fines, Western Canada is trying to curb the spread of zebra...
Can bans on boats — including canoes and kayaks — stop a tiny shellfish from wreaking havoc across Canada?
Last November, researchers at Manitoba’s Riding Mountain National Park made a discovery they had been...
For years, Manitoba stalled on protecting nature. Here’s what you need to know as it vows to change course
Progress on conservation faltered under Manitoba’s previous government. Will the NDP make good on its...
Agriculture has historically ravaged wetlands. These farmers are trying to change that
Wetlands are vanishing worldwide, often to make way for agriculture. In Manitoba, some farmers are...
