The Narwhal https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 The AI data centre boom is here. What will it mean for land, water and power in Canada? https://thenarwhal.ca/ai-data-centres-canada/ Wed, 08 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=146081 Kevin O’Leary’s plans to build the world’s biggest data centre in a drought-stricken part of Alberta highlights the big questions and concerns about the resource demands of artificial intelligence Savannah Ridley Analysis AI Alberta drought Illustration: Shawn Parkinson / The Narwhal ‘Our water should never be that dirty’: the water crisis in First Nations is about staffing too https://thenarwhal.ca/water-treatment-plants-ontario/ Fri, 19 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=145234 In many Ontario Indigenous communities, water treatment plants are staffed by a single person. A training program is trying to change that Savannah Ridley In-Depth Indigenous Rights Ontario Spirits of Place water Photo: Sara Hylton / The Narwhal Ontario Ring of Fire: A view of water through a stand of pine trees Manitoba MP Leah Gazan grew up chasing waterfalls … literally https://thenarwhal.ca/moose-questionnaire-leah-gazan/ Fri, 25 Jul 2025 12:30:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=140603 Leah Gazan on her iconic Yorkie, the secret deserts of the Prairies and her multi-generational plants Savannah Ridley The Moose Questionnaire Manitoba The Moose Questionnaire Illustration: Shawn Parkinson / The Narwhal A photograph of Manitoba MP Leah Gazan, who has black, straight hair with bangs. Leah is wearing a cerulean blue shirt and long earrings made of cream coloured leather shapes attached together. She is inside a blue background that includes her name and a pixelated image of a Moose. Ontario’s Bill 5 sparks new concerns where a legacy of environmental damage remains https://thenarwhal.ca/bill-5-northern-ontario-first-nations/ Thu, 08 May 2025 16:44:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=136840 The Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act exempts industry from provincial regulations — putting Indigenous consultation, and much more, at risk in northern Ontario Savannah Ridley On the ground Bill 5 biodiversity Indigenous Rights mining Ontario ring of fire Spirits of Place Photo: Casa Di Media Green and yellow forest and lakes seen from above in the Ring of Fire, a remote region in the Far North in Ontario