https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 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. https://thenarwhal.ca/all-season-resorts-explainer-alberta/ Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=158289 The Alberta government says new rules for all-season resorts will increase investor confidence and speed up approvals. Critics worry ‘there are no guardrails’ Sara King-Abadi Explainer Alberta protected areas Photo: Amber Bracken / The Narwhal An aerial view of a river winding through a snow-covered forest landscape, with the sun rising over mountains in the background. https://thenarwhal.ca/fortress-mountain-resort-expansion-alberta/ Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=157949 Mountain coasters, mini golf and 1,400 parking spots at a Kananaskis resort — that’s the size of a small town. Where will its water come from? Sara King-Abadi In-Depth Alberta protected areas water Illustration: Simone Williamson An illustration depicting a snowy mountain with ski chalets and chair lifts on it, with a pond in the foreground. 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. 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 https://thenarwhal.ca/manitoba-hudson-bay-conservation-announcement/ Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:27:05 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=154073 The Hudson Bay region, home to polar bears, belugas and seals, has been dubbed ‘one of the most ecologically significant marine environments on the planet’ Julia-Simone Rutgers News biodiversity Indigenous protected areas Manitoba protected areas Photo: Sarah Lawrynuik / Winnipeg Free Press Beluga whales seen from the air above Hudson Bay https://thenarwhal.ca/wasaga-beach-transfer-registry-comments/ Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=153673 Ontario received more than 14,000 comments on the plan to drop provincial protections on a portion of the park, transferring management of endangered plover habitat to the municipality Fatima Syed News Endangered Species Great Lakes Ontario Parks protected areas Photo: Carlos Osorio / The Narwhal An aerial view of Wasaga Beach. On the left, Lake Huron and the sandy shoreline. On the right, a parking lot. https://thenarwhal.ca/alderville-black-oak-savanna-conservation/ Mon, 12 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=152506 Alderville First Nation’s Black Oak Savanna is a pocket of a rare ecosystem that was nearly lost to colonialism. Dedicated stewards are bringing it back Gabrielle McMann On the ground biodiversity Endangered Species Ontario protected areas Spirits of Place A lone green tree seen through the silhouettes of tallgrass at the Alderville Black Oak Savanna during Prairie Day on October 3, 2025. https://thenarwhal.ca/kananaskis-logging-civil-disobedience/ Thu, 18 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=151291 In a cherished corner of Alberta’s Kananaskis Country, organizers set up a civil disobedience camp in response to a plan to log in a protected area Drew Anderson and Amber Bracken News On the ground Photo Essay Alberta Alberta coal mining forestry protected areas A group of people gathers in a circle on snowy ground at the edge of a forest. https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-provincial-parks-protection/ Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=149431 The Ford government wants to build urban and adventure parks, even as it moves to take away land from existing protected areas Fatima Syed Analysis Conservation authorities Greenbelt Ontario Parks protected areas urban development Photo: Giordano Ciampini / The Canadian Press https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-conservation-authorities-consolidation/ Sat, 15 Nov 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=148925 Nearly 80 years after their creation, the Doug Ford government is reducing the unique environmental agencies from 36 to 7, in a move staff say may ‘slow approvals, create confusion’ over development and flood protections Fatima Syed In-Depth Conservation authorities environmental law Great Lakes Ontario protected areas urban development water Illustration: Carol Linnitt / The Narwhal A photo illustration depicting Ontario Premier Doug Ford holding scissors in one hand and tape in the other, with the province's proposed new boundaries for conservation areas in the background.