The Narwhal https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 Will Canada protect the piping plover before it returns to Wasaga Beach? https://thenarwhal.ca/wasaga-beach-plover-court-case/ Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:41:47 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=158970 The stretch of the popular southern Ontario beach used by the endangered bird is no longer provincially protected. Environmental groups are taking the federal government to court over delays in stepping in Fatima Syed and Will Pearson News Bill 5 biodiversity Great Lakes Ontario Photo: Carlos Osorio / The Narwhal A double rainbow stretches across the sky at Wasaga Beach in Ontario. Ontario’s drinking water is protected by little-known committees, tied up in conservation authority changes https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-source-protection-conservation-authorities/ Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:41:14 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=158393 The groups were set up following the contamination crisis in Walkerton, Ont., and are still waiting for ‘clarity’ on how their work will continue after conservation authorities consolidate Fatima Syed and Matt McIntosh Investigation Conservation authorities fresh water Great Lakes Ontario Photo: Laura Proctor / The Narwhal A stream flows through a forested area in early spring, before the buds or any green vegetation has emerged. Canada Water Agency wasn’t quite sure how to explain Carney’s budget cuts to the public, documents show https://thenarwhal.ca/canada-water-agency-budget-cuts/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:45:06 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=158015 A $5-million budget cut meaning the loss of about 13 jobs comes right as the agency takes on creating Canada’s first National Water Security Strategy Carl Meyer News federal politics freshwater Great Lakes Ontario Photo: Christopher Katsarov Luna / The Narwhal Two people swim in Lake Superior, with a sandy shoreline in the background. Spore loser: the DIY mushroom-growing trend invading Ontario forests https://thenarwhal.ca/golden-oyster-mushrooms-invasion/ Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=157462 Golden oyster mushrooms are spreading fast, altering how Ontario’s forests grow, decompose and nurture important native ’shrooms Leah Borts-Kuperman News biodiversity Great Lakes Ontario Photo: Aishwarya Veerabahu Yellow golden oyster mushrooms grow in tight clusters on a tree stump. The Great Lakes are wasting a massive source of clean energy https://thenarwhal.ca/great-lakes-waste-heat-clean-energy/ Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:46:32 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=157185 Using waste heat from sewers, data centres and power plants could cut costs and reduce the impacts of climate change in a growing region Brett Walton Analysis electricity Great Lakes nature-based climate solutions Ontario renewable energy solutions Photo: Supplied by Ever-Green Energy An industrial energy plant with steam blowing out of its main smokestack. Ontario’s $20-million plan to merge 36 conservation authorities into nine https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-conservation-authorities-final-plan/ Tue, 10 Mar 2026 21:50:25 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=156464 The Doug Ford government’s proposal to amalgamate the watershed protection agencies received 14,000 public comments, with the final plan removing some controversial mergers Fatima Syed News Conservation authorities Great Lakes Ontario Photo: David Jackson / The Narwhal A duck swims across a small pond. Winter road salt is threatening Lake Simcoe and Ontario watersheds year-round https://thenarwhal.ca/lake-simcoe-road-salt-problem/ Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=155416 Salt used to remove ice from roadways is collecting in Simcoe's watershed — a source of drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people Leah Borts-Kuperman News Great Lakes Ontario solutions urban development Photo: Christopher Drost / The Canadian Press A red plow truck drives down a highway during a snowstorm. ‘So still, so quiet’: Lake Erie, frozen in a moment of time https://thenarwhal.ca/frozen-lake-erie-photos/ Mon, 23 Feb 2026 15:22:26 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=155130 The southernmost Great Lake froze over almost completely this month — bringing people from near and far to have a look Elaine Anselmi and Carlos Osorio Photo Essay freshwater Great Lakes Ontario Small modular reactors, big dreams: Ontario’s nuclear pitch https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-darlington-nuclear-smr-explainer/ Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=154705 With the first SMR in North America being built at the Darlington nuclear site, the province is testing new ground to meet future power demand Fatima Syed Explainer Great Lakes nuclear energy Ontario solutions Video: Supplied by Ontario Power Generation A large aerial of a construction site A nuclear shift buoyed by billions — and the waters of the Great Lakes https://thenarwhal.ca/nuclear-power-fervour-great-lakes/ Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=154897 Restarting an aging reactor and building next-generation modular plants on the shores of the world’s largest freshwater system Keith Schneider In-Depth freshwater Great Lakes renewable energy water Photo: J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue The Palisades Nuclear Plant on the shore of Lake Michigan is lit up at twilight. The energy boom is coming for Great Lakes water https://thenarwhal.ca/energy-boom-great-lakes-water/ Thu, 12 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=154517 How Ontario, Quebec and six U.S. states power their growth will determine the future of the freshwater reserves Brett Walton Analysis freshwater Great Lakes nuclear energy oil and gas Ontario Photo: J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue Power lines are silhouetted against a twilight sky.