https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 https://thenarwhal.ca/nanaimo-slimleaf-onion-disturbed/ Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:21:43 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=155878 Trail construction in Nanaimo, B.C., dug up a rare slimleaf onion patch, exposing the lack of protection for endangered Garry oak ecosystems Amber Bracken In-Depth B.C. biodiversity Endangered Species urban development Photo: Supplied by Thomas Bevan A muddy path in the foreground with a digger in the background 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. 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 https://thenarwhal.ca/opinion-burlington-naturalized-garden-charges/ Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:49:25 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=153317 A woman will head to court in March after the City of Burlington fined her for letting her garden grow wild. Similar cases have cropped up in other cities, raising the question of where our priorities lie Elaine Anselmi Opinion Ontario urban development Photo: Gene J. Puskar / The Associated Press A monarch butterfly takes off from a bright yellow goldenrod flower https://thenarwhal.ca/outdated-flood-maps-canada/ Tue, 06 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=152099 When maps showing areas most likely to flood are outdated, it puts people and property at risk. In Montreal, a battle over updating them highlights a nationwide worry over home values and insurance costs Xavi Richer Vis In-Depth climate adaptation flooding Quebec urban development Illustration: Simone Williamson / The Narwhal Illustration of red llines being drawn on a map. https://thenarwhal.ca/severn-ontario-wetland-development/ Wed, 10 Dec 2025 16:07:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=150484 Neighbours cried foul when a developer built a trail through a marsh near Orillia, but there was little residents or the township could do. Across Ontario, wetlands are getting harder and harder to protect Leah Borts-Kuperman In-Depth carbon sequestration Great Lakes Ontario urban development Seen from behind, a man looks out over a lake. 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 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. https://thenarwhal.ca/ottawa-tewin-development-taggart-algonquins/ Mon, 20 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=147138 The Tewin housing megaproject, backed by major developer Taggart Group, has city councillors and residents at odds over claims of reconciliation and environmental sustainability Carl Meyer and Spencer Colby On the ground Indigenous Rights Ontario urban development A yellow road sign with a double-arrow symbol on the edge of a road with an empty cornfield behind it. https://thenarwhal.ca/chevalier-cuivre-port-de-montreal-expansion/ Thu, 09 Oct 2025 16:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=146632 Le chevalier cuivré est sur le point de disparaître. Ses zones d’alimentations essentielles pourraient être détruites alors que le gouvernement de Carney considère l’accélération du plan de l’Administration portuaire de Montréal pour doubler la taille de ses installations sur le fleuve Saint-Laurent Caitlin Stall-Paquet In-Depth Endangered Species federal politics Great Lakes Major projects Quebec urban development Photo: Christopher Katsarov Luna / The Canadian Press Le premier ministre Mark Carney veut accélérer un projet d'agrandissement du Port de Montréal. Le sort du chevalier cuivré, un poisson en voie de disparition endemique au Québec, est en jeu.