https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 https://thenarwhal.ca/ring-of-fire-regional-assessment-report-summary/ Thu, 12 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=154482 Former Mushkegowuk Grand Chief hopes recommendations for monitoring ‘before any development occurs’ and urgently needed health care funding will be met despite June construction start Carl Meyer News mining Ontario peatland ring of fire Photo: Christopher Katsarov Luna / The Canadian Press A moose is photographed from above while grazing near a river. https://thenarwhal.ca/bill-5-lawsuit-intervenors/ Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=151171 Founders of the Okiniwak Indigenous youth movement and Friends of the Attawapiskat River want the justice system to recognize the value of the Breathing Lands, beyond the Ring of Fire Carl Meyer News Bill 5 federal politics Indigenous Rights Ontario peatland ring of fire Photo: Supplied by Mushkegowuk Council Aerial photo of wetlands against a grey sky. https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-ring-of-fire-road-geraldton/ Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=145184 Ontario kicks in $62 million for upgrading roadways in Geraldton, Ont., a small town set to become the ‘gateway’ to the mineral-rich Ring of Fire Abdul Matin Sarfraz News Bill 5 Ontario peatland ring of fire Photo: Carrie Davis / The Narwhal Winter icey surface with pickup truck https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-ring-of-fire-road-report/ Tue, 27 May 2025 10:46:52 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=137904 Impacts, as well as hundreds of recommendations, are outlined in an assessment that's years in the making as the Ontario government pushes to speed up critical mineral extraction Carl Meyer In-Depth Bill 5 mining Ontario peatland ring of fire Photo: The Canadian Press / Nathan Denette Two men sitting at a table in front of microphones, one speaking and gesturing https://thenarwhal.ca/manitoba-peat-mine-opposition/ Sat, 16 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=125242 When peat is mined for horticulture, forests are removed and carbon-storing peatlands are dug up. Manitobans have until Nov. 18 to submit their feedback on the plan to mine peat from the Sugar Creek bog near Lake Winnipeg Julia-Simone Rutgers News Manitoba mining peatland Winnipeg Photo: Supplied by by Eric Reder / Wilderness Committee Several tractors equipped with specialized vacuum equipment harvest peat from a cleared field in Manitoba's Washow Bay https://thenarwhal.ca/mushkegowuk-james-bay-indigenous-conservation/ Thu, 25 Apr 2024 11:01:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=105108 On the shores of James and Hudson bays, the Omushkego Wahkohtowin conservation project is almost a reality. But to get there, organizers have to build trust and consensus while facing down a federal deadline Emma McIntosh In-Depth On the ground Indigenous protected areas Indigenous Rights Ontario peatland ring of fire solutions Spirits of Place Photo: Mushkegowuk Council Mushkegowuk conservation: peatlands in the James Bay lowlands, with water and green grasses under a blue sky https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-place-highway-413-court-challenge/ Mon, 13 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=92433 Alberta got Canada's top court to question federal reviews of big projects that could cause environmental harm. Now, Ontario is trying to get the impact assessment law struck down for good Emma McIntosh Explainer environmental law Highway 413 mining Ontario peatland ring of fire Photo: Casa Di Media An aerial view of a stream flowing through peatlands and forest into a lake in the Ring of Fire in Ontario, an area where several federal impact assessments are underway https://thenarwhal.ca/peat-wildfire-toxic-chemicals/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=83710 In areas rich in peat, like those surrounding Alberta's oilsands, wildfires are releasing thousands of years’ worth of absorbed pollution, unleashing long-dormant toxic contents upon the world Colin McCarter and Mike Waddington News Alberta Wildfires nature-based climate solutions peatland permafrost water Wildfire Photo: Kristin Marie Enns-Kavanagh / ​​Flickr Silhouetted trees grow in wetlands as mist rises above water https://thenarwhal.ca/canadian-north-critical-mineral-strategy/ Mon, 10 Jul 2023 11:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=82479 Old mines in the territories left polluted, scarred sites as they closed. As the federal government promotes northern resources for the green energy transition, this past serves as a lesson for the future Ed Struzik Analysis mining Northwest Territories Nunavut Ontario peatland yukon Photo: Matt Jacques / The Narwhal Faro mine tailings pond; critical minerals, Yukon Territory, Canada https://thenarwhal.ca/suncor-fort-hills-mining-wetland/ Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=76854 As it expands its Fort Hills oilsands mine, Suncor wants to build a wall several kilometres long through the McClelland Lake wetland — so it can mine under half of it. A review could change that Drew Anderson News Alberta oil and gas oilsands peatland Photo: Amber Bracken / The Narwhal A digger clears the land at the Fort Hills oilsands mine https://thenarwhal.ca/hudson-bay-permafrost-mercury/ Mon, 27 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=74340 The warming of North America's largest peatland is sending mercury into soil and water. But it's not clear how much there is, exactly how it becomes toxic and how much to worry Christian Elliott In-Depth climate change Ontario peatland permafrost Photo: Don Johnston_NC / Alamy As Hudson Bay permafrost thaws, mercury is finding its way into the soil and water, where microbes can convert inorganic mercury into the form to be concerned about: neurotoxic methylmercury.