Kitimat-May 2023-Clemens-72 (1)
Photo: Marty Clemens / The Narwhal

The Narwhal snags 6 nominations for national journalism awards

Investigations, photojournalism and other reporting from 2023 are being recognized by the Canadian Association of Journalists

The Narwhal has earned six nominations for national awards from the Canadian Association of Journalists.

“We are so honoured to see the tireless work of our nonprofit newsroom recognized alongside the best journalism in Canada,” The Narwhal’s editor-in-chief Emma Gilchrist said. “Impactful journalism takes time and resources, and wouldn’t be possible without the contributions of more than 6,000 members who support The Narwhal.”

Here’s a rundown of our team’s nominations.

Written news

The Narwhal’s Ontario reporter Emma McIntosh was nominated as part of a team that included Noor Javed, Sheila Wang and Charlie Pinkerton from the Toronto Star for groundbreaking reporting on the Greenbelt scandal in Ontario.

Online media

The Narwhal’s climate investigations reporter, Carl Meyer, is a finalist in this category for his in-depth reporting on the Pathways Alliance of oilsands companies. Journalists from Radio-Canada, Ricochet Media and The Independent were also nominated in this category.

Photojournalism

Freelance photojournalist Katherine Cheng earned a nomination for the images she captured as part of an on-the-ground feature about Ontario’s experimental lakes area. Photojournalists and Narwhal contributors Amber Bracken and Jesse Winter were also nominated in this category for their work, alongside Martin Tremblay of La Presse. 

Aerial view of the Institute for International Sustainable Development Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario, known as the world's largest outdoor experimental freshwater research facility of its kind.
The Institute for International Sustainable Development experimental lakes area is a collection of 58 small lakes in northwestern Ontario. The data and research produced here is in demand by scientists around the world concerned about threats to fresh water. Photo: Katherine Cheng / The Narwhal

Freedom of information journalism

The Narwhal’s northwestern B.C. reporter, Matt Simmons, earned a nomination in this specialized category for his reporting on the Coastal GasLink pipeline and related environmental infractions.

Human rights reporting

Alberta/Saskatchewan reporter, Drew Anderson, and freelancer Amber Bracken were nominated for their reporting on First Nations communities in northern Alberta affected by a leak at Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands mine. Others nominated in this category include APTN Investigates, L’actualité, the Toronto Star and Zan Times.

Woman sits in kitchen with moose head on table
Amber Bracken and Drew Anderson travelled to the area around Fort Chipewyan, Alta., last winter to speak to residents concerned about the impacts of a leak at an oilsands site upstream of the community. Photo: Amber Bracken / The Narwhal

Environmental and climate change reporting

The Narwhal and Winnipeg Free Press environment reporter, Julia-Simone Rutgers, earned a nomination for her reporting on the absence of building standards to ensure tenants in Winnipeg can cope with extreme heat. Journalists from the CBC, Ricochet, Le Devoir and the Toronto Star were also nominated in this category.

Data journalism

Narwhal journalist Francesca Fionda was nominated in the data journalism category for reporting published by The Tyee on the absence of provincial support for disasters. Also nominated in this category are journalists from Global News, the Toronto Star, the Investigative Journalism Bureau and Radio-Canada.

Like a kid in a candy store
When those boxes of heavily redacted documents start to pile in, reporters at The Narwhal waste no time in looking for kernels of news that matter the most. Just ask our Prairies reporter Drew Anderson, who gleefully scanned through freedom of information files like a kid in a candy store, leading to pretty damning revelations in Alberta. Long story short: the government wasn’t being forthright when it claimed its pause on new renewable energy projects wasn’t political. Just like that, our small team was again leading the charge on a pretty big story

In an oil-rich province like Alberta, that kind of reporting is crucial. But look at our investigative work on TC Energy’s Coastal GasLink pipeline to the west, or our Greenbelt reporting out in Ontario. They all highlight one thing: those with power over our shared natural world don’t want you to know how — or why — they call the shots. And we try to disrupt that.

Our journalism is powered by people just like you. We never take corporate ad dollars, or put this public-interest information behind a paywall. Will you join the pod of Narwhals that make a difference by helping us uncover some of the most important stories of our time?
Like a kid in a candy store
When those boxes of heavily redacted documents start to pile in, reporters at The Narwhal waste no time in looking for kernels of news that matter the most. Just ask our Prairies reporter Drew Anderson, who gleefully scanned through freedom of information files like a kid in a candy store, leading to pretty damning revelations in Alberta. Long story short: the government wasn’t being forthright when it claimed its pause on new renewable energy projects wasn’t political. Just like that, our small team was again leading the charge on a pretty big story

In an oil-rich province like Alberta, that kind of reporting is crucial. But look at our investigative work on TC Energy’s Coastal GasLink pipeline to the west, or our Greenbelt reporting out in Ontario. They all highlight one thing: those with power over our shared natural world don’t want you to know how — or why — they call the shots. And we try to disrupt that.

Our journalism is powered by people just like you. We never take corporate ad dollars, or put this public-interest information behind a paywall. Will you join the pod of Narwhals that make a difference by helping us uncover some of the most important stories of our time?

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