The Narwhal https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 The staggering price tag of one of Canada’s worst wildfire seasons on record https://thenarwhal.ca/manitoba-wildfire-costs/ Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=159347 Our analysis found $500 million in expenses directly attributable to last year’s wildfires in Manitoba — from evacuation flights to lost homes to closed business to burned power poles. The true costs are even larger Julia-Simone Rutgers Explainer Investigation News Who Pays? Manitoba Wildfire Winnipeg Photo: David Lipnowski / The Canadian Press A Royal Canadian Air Force member guides a family toward a waiting aircraft during a wildfire evacuation. New ‘mosaic’ of national and provincial parks proposed in Manitoba https://thenarwhal.ca/seal-river-watershed-protection-proposal/ Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:15:18 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=158760 If approved, the Seal River Watershed, one of the world’s largest intact watersheds, could be formally protected Julia-Simone Rutgers News biodiversity Manitoba protected areas Photo: Supplied by Jordan Melograna / Seal River Watershed Alliance Two people in a canoe paddle toward the camera on the Seal River in northern Manitoba. ‘Near failing grade’: conservation groups react to Manitoba budget https://thenarwhal.ca/manitoba-budget-2026-conservation/ Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:33:19 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=157691 The latest budget includes a plan to make public transit free for kids, rebuild wildfire-ravaged campgrounds and more — but advocates say it’s not enough Julia-Simone Rutgers News Manitoba protected areas Winnipeg Photo: Tim Smith / The Narwhal An aerial view of a river flowing through a forested landscape. How to build a pipeline across the frozen, shifting North https://thenarwhal.ca/pipeline-north-challenges/ Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=157444 As an energy crisis increases pipeline fervour among some Canadian politicians, we dive into what it could take to build a pipeline to Manitoba’s north Julia-Simone Rutgers Explainer In-Depth Manitoba pipelines Winnipeg Photo: Jenny Kane / The Associated Press In the foreground, a close-up view of an above-ground pipeline. In the background, the pipeline extends to the horizon along a flat, snowy landscape. $1M parcel of land expands horizons for cattle farming research on the Prairies https://thenarwhal.ca/manitoba-cattle-research-expansion/ Mon, 16 Mar 2026 23:27:07 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=156917 Brookdale Research Farm now has an expanded ‘real-world setting’ to test out new ways cattle and conservation can co-exist Julia-Simone Rutgers News farming Manitoba Winnipeg Photo: Supplied by Ducks Unlimited Canada an aerial view of farmland dotted with wetlands Will Canada meet its goal to protect 30% of land and waters by 2030? https://thenarwhal.ca/canada-conservation-goal/ Fri, 13 Mar 2026 17:42:24 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=156784 Canada must protect 1.7 million sq. kms, the size of Alaska, to meet 2030 conservation goals. Manitoba is eyeing Indigenous-led plans to get there Julia-Simone Rutgers In-Depth Indigenous protected areas Manitoba protected areas Winnipeg Photo: Taylor Roades / The Narwhal There are green solutions to sewage woes. Is Manitoba using them? https://thenarwhal.ca/manitoba-green-solutions-sewage/ Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=155931 A Winnipeg councillor is concerned the province is dragging its feet on ensuring natural infrastructure is used when building new sewage systems Julia-Simone Rutgers News Manitoba Winnipeg Photo: Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press A woman stands near a storm drain, with visible brown runoff flooding into a frozen river Pushing for change in Canada’s lone deepwater Arctic port https://thenarwhal.ca/port-of-churchill-pipeline-plans/ Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=155476 Some are pushing hard for a major expansion of the Port of Churchill. Others worry about the risks — from ocean oil spills to rail lines built on tundra — of expanding a port surrounded by ice eight months of the year Julia-Simone Rutgers In-Depth arctic Manitoba oil and gas pipelines Winnipeg Photo: Dylan Robertson / Winnipeg Free Press A port building against an icy landscape. A mining company says new tech could help it manage risk to groundwater https://thenarwhal.ca/sio-silica-groundwater-monitoring-tech/ Fri, 13 Feb 2026 16:39:17 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=154691 Researchers at the University of Manitoba are partnering with Sio Silica to improve groundwater monitoring at the company’s proposed silica sand mine Julia-Simone Rutgers News Manitoba mining solutions water Photo: Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press The snowy field where Sio Silica plans to build a silica sand processing facility near Vivian, Manitoba ‘Get ready’: Manitoba premier is serious about oil and gas industry’s interest in Hudson Bay https://thenarwhal.ca/manitoba-port-of-churchill-plans/ Wed, 11 Feb 2026 20:00:22 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=154553 As companies mull ideas to ship Alberta oil, LNG and more through a port in Manitoba’s north, the premier explains his signing of an NDA to keep details quiet Julia-Simone Rutgers News Manitoba oil and gas Photo: Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew speaks into a microphone in front of a row of provincial flags. A massive transit overhaul — and ridership decreases that followed https://thenarwhal.ca/winnipeg-transit-ridership-data/ Thu, 05 Feb 2026 01:12:28 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=154110 ‘Leery to draw any solid conclusions’: The impacts of Winnipeg’s recent transit overhaul, which disproportionately cut service in low-income neighbourhoods, are anything but clear-cut Julia-Simone Rutgers News Manitoba urban development Winnipeg Photo: Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press Two out-of-service transit buses wait in the parking lot of the Winnipeg Transit garage