230213-The Narwhal-team-vancouver

The Narwhal snags eight award nominations from the Canadian Association of Journalists

Our plucky non-profit news outlet picked up the second-most nominations of any news organization

Eight pieces of outstanding journalism published in The Narwhal in 2022 were nominated for awards by the Canadian Association of Journalists on Friday. 

“We are so honoured to see that non-profit journalism continues to punch above its weight,” said managing editor Mike De Souza. “Aside from CBC, The Narwhal has picked up more nominations than any other news outlet in Canada.”

The Narwhal’s journalism was made possible by donations from more than 6,000 readers in 2022. Here’s a rundown of our team’s nominations. 

Data journalism

An in-depth piece analyzing how the federal government is less likely to protect at-risk fish if people like to eat them by freelancer Jenn Thornhill Verma picked up the nod in the data journalism category. 

Online media

The Narwhal’s climate investigations reporter Carl Meyer picked up a nomination for his investigation that drew on leaked emails and memos from the Alberta Energy Regulator to show how oil lobbyists weakened methane rules

Photojournalism

Aaron Vincent Elkaim was nominated for compelling photojournalism for The Narwhal and the Winnipeg Free Press about how devastating flooding was affecting residents of Peguis First Nation.

Carlos Osorio, a frequent freelancer for The Narwhal, was also nominated for a portfolio of his work. 

Daily excellence

Fatima Syed and Emma McIntosh were shortlisted for their authoritative coverage of environmental reforms introduced by the Ontario government as part of its housing plan.

CAJ/JHR award for human rights reporting

A heartbreaking feature by Ian Willms about life and death in Fort Chipewyan, downstream from the oilsands also earned a nod from judges as a finalist.

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

CWA Canada/CAJ Labour reporting

Stephanie Wood’s in-depth investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct at a B.C. environmental organization was among the finalists for labour reporting.

APTN/CAJ Reconciliation Award

Matt Simmons extensive Wet’suwet’en coverage earned him a nomination for the reconciliation award. 

Francesca Fionda, The Narwhal’s mining reporting, was also nominated in this category for in-depth reporting for The Tyee about the Sisters of St. Ann’s role in Indigenous cultural erasure through schools.

Environmental and climate change reporting

Jolene Banning’s feature about how ice loss was changing an Anishinaabe fisherman’s relationship with Lake Superior was named a finalist in this category. Additionally, Toronto-based non-profit publication The Local earned a nod in this category for a story by Inori Roy on heat wave inequality published as part of a collaborative series with The Narwhal.

The awards will be presented at a gala in Vancouver on April 15.

Updated Feb. 24, 2023, at 2:10 p.m. PT to include Inori Roy’s nomination for The Local.

It was a chilly winter day...
when news broke that photojournalist Amber Bracken had been arrested by the RCMP while reporting for The Narwhal from Wet’suwet’en territory in northwestern B.C.

“Soon they would put me in handcuffs and take my cameras from me,” Amber said. “After that they would take my rights.”

As a small, non-profit news organization, we didn’t want to take one of the most powerful organizations in our country to court. Ultimately, we realized we had no other choice — because an absence of journalism leaves us all in the dark.

We wouldn’t be able to take this stand for press freedom — or send journalists like Amber to cover critically important environmental stories — without the ongoing support of thousands of members like you who make The Narwhal possible.
It was a chilly winter day...
when news broke that photojournalist Amber Bracken had been arrested by the RCMP while reporting for The Narwhal from Wet’suwet’en territory in northwestern B.C.

“Soon they would put me in handcuffs and take my cameras from me,” Amber said. “After that they would take my rights.”

As a small, non-profit news organization, we didn’t want to take one of the most powerful organizations in our country to court. Ultimately, we realized we had no other choice — because an absence of journalism leaves us all in the dark.

We wouldn’t be able to take this stand for press freedom — or send journalists like Amber to cover critically important environmental stories — without the ongoing support of thousands of members like you who make The Narwhal possible.

See similar stories

How the Ontario government muzzled its Greenbelt Council

Over the past two years, the Ontario government moved to muzzle the council that advises it about the Greenbelt as it shuffled its work behind...

Continue reading

Recent Posts

Our members make The Narwhal’s ad-free, independent journalism possible. Will you join the pod?
Help power our ad-free, independent journalism
Investigating problems. Exploring solutions
The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for a weekly dose of independent journalism.
Investigating problems. Exploring solutions
The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for a weekly dose of independent journalism.