https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-long-run-exploration-liabilities/ Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:09:21 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=158553 The orphan wells trace back to a tangled web of foreign investors, a company based in the British Virgin Islands and a last-ditch effort to sell to a Chinese company for $22M Sharon J. Riley News Alberta oil and gas Photo: Amber Bracken / The Narwhal An orphan well in a field near Camrose, Alberta. https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-orphan-wells-increase/ Fri, 10 Apr 2026 21:57:27 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=158313 Thousands of wells belonging to beleaguered Calgary-based Long Run Exploration Ltd. have now been officially dubbed orphans. Here’s what you need to know Sharon J. Riley Explainer News Alberta oil and gas Photo: Amber Bracken / The Narwhal https://thenarwhal.ca/canola-china-canada-tariffs/ Thu, 15 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=153119 Canola is central to this week’s trade talks between Canada and China. Here’s a look at the bright yellow crop that blankets Prairie fields — and brings in billions Sharon J. Riley Explainer Alberta farming federal politics Manitoba Saskatchewan Photo: Tim Smith / The Narwhal A farmer's hands holding a dark green canola plant leaf, with a field of yellow canola flowers in the background. https://thenarwhal.ca/218-foi-requests-for-government-transparency/ Wed, 17 Dec 2025 01:31:07 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=151384 Governments don’t make it easy to access documents they’d prefer to keep out of the public eye — but reporters for The Narwhal love a challenge Sharon J. Riley Inside The Narwhal foi media Photo: Ryan Wilkes / The Narwhal Three people stand in a green garden with serious expresssions https://thenarwhal.ca/moose-questionnaire-kevin-van-tighem/ Wed, 01 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=145838 ‘When people organize their lives around matters of principle, they become unstoppable,’ Alberta nature writer Kevin Van Tighem says Sharon J. Riley and Will Pearson The Moose Questionnaire Alberta Moose Questionnaire protected areas Illustration: Shawn Parkinson / The Narwhal A graphic featuring a photo of Alberta nature writer Kevin Van Tighem inside a dark yellow banner, with a pixelated moose and his Van Tighem's name spelled out in front. https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-oil-and-gas-mess-appeal/ Sat, 20 Sep 2025 15:14:08 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=145516 Prairies reporter Drew Anderson asked Alberta Premier Danielle Smith a question — with some salty language — at a news conference this week Sharon J. Riley Inside The Narwhal Alberta oil and gas Photo: Jason Franson / The Canadian Press Alberta Premier Danielle Smith purses her lips https://thenarwhal.ca/will-pearson-assistant-editor/ Fri, 15 Aug 2025 15:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=142528 What do you get when you combine a love of local, non-profit news with a passion for human-focused journalism? Our new Ontario-based assistant editor, Will Sharon J. Riley Inside The Narwhal media Will Pearson, a new Narwhal assistant editor, sitting on a bench in Peterborough, Ont. with greenery behind him. He is wearing a grey sweatshirt with a red Narwhal logo and clasping his hands together. https://thenarwhal.ca/paloma-pacheco-assistant-editor/ Fri, 15 Aug 2025 15:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=142896 Who’s an experienced journalist with one heck of a keen eye on our stories these days? Our new B.C.-based assistant editor, Paloma Sharon J. Riley Inside The Narwhal media One of The Narwhal's new assistant editors, Paloma Pacheco, is seen standing on a trail through a greenspace wearing a Narwhal touque. The sun sets over her right shoulder. https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-oil-and-gas-unpaid-rent-2024/ Mon, 28 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=141397 When oil and gas companies are unable, or unwilling, to pay their land rent, the provincial government will pay it for them. More than 99% of the time, the government never gets its money back Sharon J. Riley News Alberta oil and gas orphan wells Photo: Amber Bracken / The Narwhal A pipeline station north of Fort Saskatchewan photographed at dusk https://thenarwhal.ca/national-magazine-awards-nominations-2025/ Thu, 01 May 2025 21:58:28 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=136645 Bracken was recognized for intimate portraits of residents of Fort Chipewyan, Alta., who told her about their experiences — and fears — downstream from toxic tailings ponds Sharon J. Riley Inside The Narwhal Alberta freshwater Indigenous Rights media oilsands Photo: Amber Bracken / The Narwhal Portrait of an older man with glasses, a ball cap, a handlebar moustache and ponytail. https://thenarwhal.ca/us-steel-tariffs-coal/ Wed, 12 Mar 2025 17:12:06 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=133235 The majority of coal produced in Canada is used to make steel, leaving the industry vulnerable to U.S. tariffs. Here’s what you need to know Sharon J. Riley Explainer Alberta B.C. Canada-U.S. relations coal Saskatchewan Photo: Christopher Katsarov Luna / The Narwhal The Algoma steel plant photographed from across the St. Mary's river in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. The plant has a site-specific exemption from the province's air pollution rules.