Dear Narwhals,

It’s a pleasure to be back in your inboxes to start off 2025 with some wonderful news: with the help of a record tally of 1,484 donors, we were able to surpass our end-of-year fundraising goal! Many thanks to each and every one of you who donated whatever you could afford to help us step foot into the new year ready to do the necessary work of uncovering stories about our natural world you won’t find anywhere else.

And speaking of uncovering stories: we’ve asked our staff where they plan to dive deep this year — as we gear up for a big federal election and maybe a provincial one, the implications of the incoming U.S. administration and plenty of question marks for our environment. Read on for a glimpse of what to expect from The Narwhal’s pod in 2025.

Take care and take a breath,

Arik Ligeti
Director of audience

The world of wildfire

We’ve all read the headlines: Los Angeles is burning, in … January. This reality of hotter and drier climates across North America is why I’m dedicated to getting people to pay attention to wildfires year-round, starting with a story this weekend about B.C. firefighters and the support needed on the frontlines. I’ll also be following developments in B.C.’s liquefied natural gas export sector, as LNG Canada comes online and starts shipping overseas, and other projects like the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline move forward — or are stopped. — Matt Simmons, northwest B.C. reporter
 

What will the post-Trudeau era look like?

We all know Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wants to take an axe to Liberal environmental policies, but the more interesting question for me, if he wins, is what alternative approaches to the real impacts of climate change he’ll develop, if any — and how his government’s relationship with fossil fuel firms will differ from the Trudeau era. I’ll also be tracking local action on greenwashing and what kind of climate-related financial disclosures companies actually end up sharing. No matter what happens politically, there’ll be lots of corporate influence happening, and I’ll do my best to dig it all up for you. — Carl Meyer, climate investigations reporter
 

A snap election?

If Premier Doug Ford’s winking is to be believed, 2025 might bring an early election in Ontario — or it won’t. Who knows! So not only am I hatching plans for any potential snap elections, I’m also diving deep into documents to examine how this government has made decisions affecting the natural world, and to account for the consequences. I’m focused on two questions: who is the Ontario government listening to? And what are the costs for people on the ground? — Emma McIntosh, Ontario reporter
 

What’s in store for Indigenous Rights?

I’ll be paying attention to how the re-elected BC NDP government and a new federal government impact Indigenous Rights in the province. How will they affect Indigenous-led agreements and initiatives that are already off the ground, but need years more of commitment? I’ll also be watching the cargo port expansion in Metro Vancouver, Roberts Bank Terminal 2, which needs to meet 370 binding conditions to mitigate negative impacts on endangered orcas and the broader environment. — Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood, B.C. reporter
 

The overhaul of Alberta

The United Conservative Party is reshaping Alberta — from health care to energy to environmental protection and more — and that trend will continue into 2025. I’ll dig into the push for doubling oil production, continued attacks on renewables and how perennial fights with Ottawa change if Pierre Poilievre wins. In Saskatchewan, I’ll be looking at the energy transition and critical minerals. Finally, the incoming U.S. administration will be a driving force as the prairie provinces pivot to protect their interests. — Drew Anderson, Prairies reporter
 

From sand mines to peat mines

Picking up where 2024 left off, I’ll be keeping tabs on Sio Silica as it breathes new life into its once-rejected sand mine and following the progress of Indigenous-led conservation initiatives like Seal River and Kitaskeenan Kaweekanawaynichikatek. I also plan to dive into some of Manitoba’s lesser-known resource projects: peat mines in the Interlake and oil fields in the southwest. Finally, I’ll be following how changes in North America’s political landscape impact Manitobans on the frontlines of environmental protection. — Julia-Simone Rutgers, Manitoba reporter
 

What comes next after B.C.’s election?

Separating fact from fiction

Already this year, I’m thinking about misinformation and the role it’s playing in our national conversations about the environment and Indigenous Rights as the federal election looms. In many ways, it has never felt harder — or more important — to ensure that accurate information is reaching Canadians. Reporting the facts is one thing; making sure they’re not drowned out by misinformation or apathy is another. — Michelle Cyca, senior editor
 

Tracking two different kinds of waste

This year, I’m thinking about communities and how they’re interacting with and preparing for climate change. My goal is to get on the ground and see how big, complex energy and environmental policies are impacting people’s realities. That includes a nuclear waste dump in northern Ontario, the push for retrofits in southwestern Ontario and a massively expanded waste operation in the Peel Region — my own backyard. — Fatima Syed, Ontario reporter
 

Will B.C. live up to its nature commitments?

I’ll be watching for new protected areas as B.C. works to meet its target to conserve 30 per cent of land by 2030 and keeping an eye on how the province plans to balance new resource and housing developments with nature protection and restoration. At the same time, I’m hoping to highlight more of the important work communities are doing on the ground to care for nature. — Ainslie Cruickshank, B.C. biodiversity reporter

This week in The Narwhal