Dear Narwhals,

I’m thrilled to welcome you back to our first weekly newsletter of 2026 with some great news: thanks to 1,625 generous readers and our group of matching donors, we surpassed our goal to raise $300,000 in December!

We’re deeply grateful for the support, which will make it possible for us to keep bringing you powerful stories about the natural world in Canada in the year ahead.

Speaking of which, this week I asked journalists at The Narwhal to share some insights into what’s on their radar. Read on for that — as well as an update on our press freedom lawsuit against the RCMP, which heads to court on Monday for a five-week trial. 

Take care, and all the best for the year ahead!

Jacqueline Ronson
Assistant editor

What’s in the mix for 2026?

This year at The Narwhal, we are committed to telling stories about issues that impact our daily lives. We want to hold governments and companies accountable and make clear the connections between the environment and various challenges we are facing: from affordability, to housing, to health care and beyond. Climate change intersects with our lives all the time, and we hope to help tell stories that reflect that. 

— Lindsay Sample, B.C. bureau chief
 

Tracking the fast track

— Carl Meyer, Ontario reporter, climate investigations


In 2026, I expect the Ontario government to keep up its quest to build things quickly. So I’ll stay focused on how they’re doing that in the communities that will be impacted most. You can count on more stories about the First Nations affected by the push to mine the Ring of Fire, as well as the urban centres struggling to make space for sustainable infrastructure. I’ll be closely following the plan to consolidate Ontario’s conservation authorities, expand natural gas and nuclear energy — and the increasing pressure on local water, too.

— Fatima Syed, Ontario reporter
 

Leaning into solutions

In a seemingly infinite sea of bad news, this year I’m committed to paying attention to solutions — what’s working, who’s responding to systemic problems and how we are collectively adapting to a rapidly changing climate and widespread biodiversity loss. I’m curious to hear about innovative approaches to problems and grassroots initiatives making a real difference in northwest B.C. communities. Along the way, I’ll also be keeping my eye on the region’s LNG export sector, mining developments and the government bodies and regulators who are supposed to be making sure big projects don’t have big impacts on ecosystems and communities.  

— Matt Simmons, northwest B.C. reporter


In 2026, I’ll continue to keep an eye on threats to nature — the projects that affect sensitive habitats and the policies that put wildlife populations at risk. At the same time, I’ll be watching for progress at the federal and provincial level towards Canada’s goal of conserving 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030. Finally, I hope to share stories from British Columbia communities working to restore and conserve nature, offering hope for the future in the midst of a biodiversity crisis. 

— Ainslie Cruickshank, B.C. biodiversity reporter
 

Energy on the Prairies

My next year of reporting will, once again, be largely about oil and gas in Alberta, where the government is pushing hard for a new oil pipeline amidst a burgeoning separatist movement, depressed oil prices and geopolitical instability from south of the border. I’ll be watching how this plays out on the ground, including pressure on the Alberta Energy Regulator to, well, regulate. Next door in Saskatchewan, critical minerals, including uranium, will continue to be a centrepiece in a province chasing a nuclear makeover. 

— Drew Anderson, Prairies reporter
 

In 2025, Manitoba pledged to strengthen its economy through investments in energy, tech and a major trade project. In 2026, I’ll be following the plan to transform the Port of Churchill by expanding the shipping season and building an “energy corridor” for minerals and natural gas — with leadership from an all-new Crown-Indigenous corporation. I’ll also be keeping up with efforts to build new energy infrastructure, ramp up critical mineral extraction and invest in new technologies like AI data centres. As always, I’ll be focused on how these big-ticket investments affect local communities, First Nations, the land and the water.

— Julia-Simone Rutgers, Manitoba reporter
 

Reconciliation rewind? 

 

In 2025, the B.C. government made some major changes to energy policy, so I will be keeping an eye on how those play out — and what other changes might be in the works. Premier David Eby has vowed to make changes to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) this spring to block courts from enforcing it. That’s likely to prompt more pushback from First Nations and may be a bit of a watershed moment for reconciliation and Indigenous Rights in B.C. — a very different one from when DRIPA passed unanimously in 2019.

— Shannon Waters, B.C. politics and environment reporter


I’ll be watching the discourse around DRIPA and Indigenous Rights, and concerning misinformation I’ve heard circulating in real life and online about Indigenous people. As well, I’m working on some story ideas to dig deeper into the impacts of flooding on communities.

— Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood, B.C. reporter

This week in The Narwhal