The Narwhal https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 Ontario is returning to the office. What does that mean for traffic and emissions? https://thenarwhal.ca/video-ontario-office-return/ Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:42:07 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=153417 The Doug Ford government has sent public workers back to the office five days a week. In our latest video, we explain what that means for commuters around Toronto and beyond L. Manuel Baechlin Video Highway 413 Ontario Toronto transit Ontario’s public service heads back to the office, meaning more traffic and emissions https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-public-service-office-commute/ Fri, 02 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=152052 Doug Ford is bringing bureaucrats back to the office in January, but can transit and traffic across the Greater Toronto Area contend with tens of thousands more commuters? Fatima Syed Analysis air pollution Highway 413 Ontario Toronto transit Photo: Fred Lum / The Globe and Mail A six lane expressway is packed with vehicles with a skyline in the background When nature calls, parks need to answer https://thenarwhal.ca/opinion-toronto-parks-public-washrooms/ Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=150184 Washrooms in parks aren’t as regular as they could be — especially in the winter. And it makes these public green spaces less welcoming Jacqueline L. Scott Opinion Parks Toronto urban development Illustration: Shawn Parkinson / The Narwhal Photo illustration of hiking boots on a picnic table with pink toilet paper hanging off, behind a green filter Ford floats use of notwithstanding clause in Toronto bike lanes case https://thenarwhal.ca/ford-notwithstanding-toronto-bike-lanes/ Fri, 08 Aug 2025 12:44:54 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=142388 ’Let's see what happens at the Court of Appeal,’ Premier Doug Ford told reporters Aidan Chamandy News Ontario Toronto Photo: Laura Proctor / The Canadian Press A blurred cyclist on a bike lane on University Avenue with buildings around Can Toronto still enforce its green building standard? Ontario says no, but the city disagrees https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-toronto-green-standard/ Mon, 23 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=139461 The Toronto Green Standard makes some eco-friendly building features mandatory, such as flood and heat mitigation. Ontario says the city no longer has the authority to apply it Kathryn Mannie News climate change Ontario Toronto urban development Photo: Katherine KY Cheng / The Narwhal A photo of the Toronto city skyline at night, with office towers, condos and the CN Tower visible and a bridge over the Don Valley in the foreground. Why Ontario is experiencing more floods — and what we can do about it https://thenarwhal.ca/understanding-toronto-floods-video-explainer/ Fri, 09 May 2025 14:45:20 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=136900 How can we limit damage from disasters like the 2024 Toronto floods? In this explainer video, we highlight some pretty useful solutions to our water problems L. Manuel Baechlin Video flooding floods Toronto An illustration of flooding maps and illustrations from the explainer video, with a play button in the middle. Ontario developers sue Toronto over green building standards https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-developers-sue-toronto/ Fri, 06 Dec 2024 20:01:46 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=127049 The Residential Construction Council of Ontario wants to stop cities from imposing environmental standards beyond the provincial building code Fatima Syed News climate adaptation environmental law Ontario Toronto urban development Photo: Christopher Katsarov Luna / The Narwhal A photo of a cyclist passing parked construction vehicles and trucks in Toronto. Doug Ford’s plans for bike lane limits and a highway tunnel will put more cars on Toronto roads https://thenarwhal.ca/doug-ford-limits-toronto-bike-lanes/ Wed, 02 Oct 2024 11:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=120625 Decades of research show the Ontario government's plans to reduce gridlock won’t work. But they will distract us from real solutions Emma McIntosh Opinion Ontario Toronto Photo: Fred Lum / The Globe and Mail Cyclists in a busy Toronto bike lane along Bloor Street West, seen from ground level with cars just out of focus Missed calls, forgotten instructions: inside an oil spill cleanup on Toronto waterways https://thenarwhal.ca/lake-ontario-mimico-creek-oil-spill/ Fri, 26 Jul 2024 13:27:05 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=114258 A provincial spill report details a list of issues that arose as crews responded to an oil spill in two Toronto creeks that eventually made its way to Lake Ontario Emma McIntosh Analysis Investigation freshwater Great Lakes Ontario Toronto Photo: Christopher Katsarov Luna / The Narwhal Mimico Creek spill: families hang out on a rocky beach on a summer day with Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline behind them ‘Containment breached’: how an oil spill in northwest Toronto made its way to Lake Ontario https://thenarwhal.ca/mimico-creek-lake-ontario-spill/ Thu, 25 Jul 2024 11:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=114052 Last summer, contaminated sludge from a fire at a chemical plant reached Lake Ontario. The spill report raises questions about what the province told the public Emma McIntosh In-Depth Investigation News freshwater Great Lakes Ontario Toronto Photo: Christopher Katsarov Luna / The Narwhal An aerial view of the mouth of Mimico Creek at Humber Bay Park in the summertime, flowing into Lake Ontario More electric vehicles are coming to Toronto’s streets, but who gets to fix them? https://thenarwhal.ca/toronto-electric-vehicle-mechanics/ Mon, 24 Jun 2024 11:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=110863 As the federal government introduces ambitious goals for all new cars to be zero-emissions by 2035, mom-and-pop garages are wrestling with electric vehicle manufacturers and dealers over the right to repair them Inori Roy In-Depth On the ground climate change The Green Economy Toronto A mechanic at Dupont Auto Service, Sajjad Butt waves a vehicle into a repair bay, in Toronto ON, May 28, 2024.