Gavin John’s portfolio of photojournalism, including work for The Narwhal documenting the Blackfoot Confederacy’s efforts to bring back the buffalo jump, has been nominated for a Canadian Association of Journalists award.
We’re thrilled to share that The Narwhal has picked up four award nominations from the Canadian Association of Journalists for our investigative, in-depth and visual journalism!
Our nominated work, with reporting from the coast of B.C. to the prairies to the Great Lakes, earned finalist selections after judges whittled down a record 540 submissions for this year’s CAJ Awards.
“I am so proud of all of the reporters and the hard work our whole team puts into telling these important stories,” executive editor Denise Balkissoon said. “This is such a wide range of nominations — breaking news, well-thought-out interactives, freedom of information digging and beautiful photography. It really shows what a powerhouse our little newsroom is — a newsroom that’s thriving because of the 6,800 members who give what they can to support independent journalism.”
B.C. biodiversity reporter Ainslie Cruickshank was nominated for the environment and climate change award for her portrait of pollution around the Burrard Inlet, Canada’s busiest port. As Ainslie reported, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation is intent on rewriting provincial policy to protect Burrard Inlet from industrial waste. But a leaked video of a coal spill illustrates the challenges with enforcement. Her piece brought together on-the-ground interviews and an interactive map of the inlet’s 21 legal polluters.
Ontario reporter Emma McIntosh was nominated in the freedom of information category for her investigation into how an oil spill in northwest Toronto made its way to Lake Ontario. Incident reports obtained by Emma raised questions about what the province told the public, with key details about the extent of the sludge leak — the brown plume, the emulsified oil, the distance the contamination travelled — left undisclosed until her story was published.
B.C. politics and environment reporter Shannon Waters was nominated in the daily excellence category for her reporting on what on earth happened with B.C.’s carbon tax, as Premier David Eby flip-flopped and vowed to remove the province’s consumer price on carbon. Shannon’s story explains why B.C.’s carbon tax was created in the first place and how it never really realized its full potential.
Photographer Gavin John was nominated in the photojournalism category for a portfolio of work for The Narwhal and The Globe and Mail. Gavin’s assignments for The Narwhal included a cross-border trip in Alberta and Montana to capture the efforts of Blackfeet guardians to bring back the buffalo jump and revitalize traditional hunts. Gavin also travelled to Kneehill County, Alta., to document the local resistance to renewable energy projects, for a two-part Narwhal series.
An investigation produced as part of a collaborative series between The Local and The Narwhal was also nominated for the Hugo Rodrigues Award for Community News. The Local’s Wency Leung was recognized for her investigation into GFL, the Ontario-based waste management company that says it’s “Green For Life” — but its neighbours disagree.
The Narwhal’s work is being recognized alongside journalism from The Canadian Press, La Presse, Radio-Canada, The Tyee, IndigiNews, Ricochet Media, Reuters, The Globe and Mail, CBC, The Halifax Examiner, The Hamilton Spectator, APTN, Climate Disaster Project and Neworld Theatre.
Winners will be announced at the Canadian Association of Journalists awards gala in Calgary at the end of May.
Another year of keeping a close watch
Here at The Narwhal, we don’t use profit, awards or pageviews to measure success. The thing that matters most is real-world impact — evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.
And in 2024, our stories were raised in parliaments across the country and cited by citizens in their petitions and letters to politicians.
In Alberta, our reporting revealed Premier Danielle Smith made false statements about the controversial renewables pause. In Manitoba, we proved that officials failed to formally inspect a leaky pipeline for years. And our investigations on a leaked recording of TC Energy executives were called “the most important Canadian political story of the year.”
Here at The Narwhal, we don’t use profit, awards or pageviews to measure success. The thing that matters most is real-world impact — evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.
And in 2024, our stories were raised in parliaments across the country and cited by citizens in their petitions and letters to politicians.
In Alberta, our reporting revealed Premier Danielle Smith made false statements about the controversial renewables pause. In Manitoba, we proved that officials failed to formally inspect a leaky pipeline for years. And our investigations on a leaked recording of TC Energy executives were called “the most important Canadian political story of the year.”
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With headlines blaring about tariffs, a trade war and a 51st state, it can be easy to feel helpless. Here’s where I see hope: The Narwhal is reporting doggedly on issues surrounding the natural world in Canada that feel so under threat today — including the autonomy and sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples. It’s why I’m a member — and why I hope you’ll be one of 400 readers who joins me this April. Sign up now and receive a Narwhal tote bag as a gift of thanks! — Tanya Talaga, journalist, author and recent Narwhal board chair
With headlines blaring about tariffs, a trade war and a 51st state, it can be easy to feel helpless. Here’s where I see hope: The Narwhal is reporting doggedly on issues surrounding the natural world in Canada that feel so under threat today — including the autonomy and sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples. It’s why I’m a member — and why I hope you’ll be one of 400 readers who joins me this April. — Tanya Talaga, journalist, author and recent Narwhal board chair
