The Narwhal https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 ‘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 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 ‘Start scaling up now’: 26 groups call on Manitoba to take bolder climate action https://thenarwhal.ca/manitoba-climate-action-letter/ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=153923 Environmental organizations say the province’s spending on polluting sectors has far outpaced emissions-reductions projects, despite a commitment to net zero Julia-Simone Rutgers News climate change Manitoba Winnipeg Photo: Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press Eric Reder speaks into microphones at a press conference about climate action in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Spheres of influence: who’s lobbying the Manitoba NDP? https://thenarwhal.ca/manitoba-lobbying-investigation/ Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=153477 We dug deep into lobbying records in a province ‘far behind’ others when it comes to maintaining a transparent and accessible record of who has access to the halls of power Julia-Simone Rutgers In-Depth Investigation Corporate Influence Manitoba Winnipeg Illustration: Jarett Sitter / The Narwhal A graphic illustration of the Manitoba Golden Boy statue with several men in suits beside it and one whispering into its ear. A decade of fighting over a controversial mining project in Manitoba — and still no decision https://thenarwhal.ca/manitoba-sio-silica-timeline/ Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=150709 The Sio Silica sand mine southeast of Winnipeg was proposed, then rejected, then reviewed, then brought back in a new form. Here’s where it stands — and a look back at years of fierce opposition and political scandal Julia-Simone Rutgers In-Depth Critical Minerals freshwater Manitoba mining Winnipeg Photo: Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew stands and speaks emphatically in the provincial legislature with MLAs seated around him. Pretty much everything you need to know about Manitoba’s new obsession with AI data centres https://thenarwhal.ca/manitoba-ai-data-centre-explainer/ Fri, 14 Nov 2025 14:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=148809 Manitoba — home of much hydro power and notoriously cold winters — says it’s perfectly positioned for a data centre boom. Here’s what that means for the province Julia-Simone Rutgers Explainer AI electricity Manitoba renewable energy Winnipeg Photo: Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press Close view of a server rack stacked with computers