Donald Trump says a lot of things. So does Doug Ford. At The Narwhal, our bar for acknowledging and investigating those statements — or any other things politicians fire off — is when there’s real-world, tangible impacts on our environment. Otherwise, we’d rather focus our time and energy on good journalism about beautiful natural spaces.

The Lake Ontario renaming fiasco is political bluster — but it concerns a place many in our newsroom cherish. The U.S. president’s effort to rebrand it as “Lake America” has taken shape south of the border, with some tech giants acquiescing and changing the name on maps for U.S. users.

The word “Ontario” is older than Canada or the U.S., and the lake will outlast the politicians using it as a pawn. What we care about is who is watching over it and its watershed — home to millions — and the vast lands of Canada that stretch out for thousands of kilometres from there.

That’s where our reporters come in.

Will you help support independent Canadian journalism that keeps tabs on the places we love? We only have 220 Lake Ontario totes left for anyone that joins as a monthly or yearly Narwhal member this September.

Speaking of real-world impacts to places like Lake Ontario: this September we published a months-long investigation into the aftereffects of Ontario scrapping its long-standing endangered species law. And in Alberta, we broke a massive story about a leaked document on the province’s potential plans for more AI data centres and fossil fuel production.

People in power are making decisions that have serious, long-lasting impacts on the environment. With your support, we can continue to dig into the reasons behind them, and what they really mean for land, water and life. Plus, you’ll get a limited-edition Lake Ontario tote as thanks (they’re going fast!).

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.