The Narwhal has been named a finalist for two Canadian Association of Journalists awards, a recognition of its investigation into the Alberta Energy Regulator as well as a photo essay on  the aftermath of a Canadian mining company’s operations in Mexico.

These are the fourth and fifth Canadian Association of Journalists nominations for The Narwhal, less than two years after its founding as an ad-free, non-profit publication with a mission to bring reporting on the natural world to Canadians.

Reporter Sharon J. Riley has been nominated for the online media award for her investigation into Alberta’s approvals process for oil and gas wells, which revealed plans by Premier Jason Kenney’s government to rubber-stamp applications via an automated system in as little as 15 minutes. 

15-minute approvals: Alberta plans to automate licences for new oil and gas drilling

This is Riley’s second Canadian Association of Journalists nomination for her work with The Narwhal. Her feature, Life after coal, was a finalist in the labour reporting category last year. The story cast a spotlight on coal miners in Wabamun, Alta., as they grappled with the imminent reality of being out of work.

Other online media finalists include BuzzFeed News, Halifax Examiner, CBC News and Radio Canada International.

In the photojournalism category, Amanda Annand has earned a nod for capturing how the life and death of a Canadian mine in the Mexican town of Cerro de San Pedro has impacted the community.

The pit of San Pedro: the life and death of a Canadian mine in Mexico

Annand is nominated alongside photographers Jesse Winter, Darryl Dyck and Valerian Mazataud.

This year’s winners are due to be announced online on May 30. That’s the same day the organization had planned to hold its awards gala in Montreal, before cancelling the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Narwhal is looking to repeat its 2019 win in the photojournalism category, for Aaron Vincent Elkaim’s work capturing the Fort McKay First Nation’s fight to protect a sacred site from rampant industrial development.

The Narwhal’s single largest source of funding is its readers, with more than 1,200 monthly members making it possible to produce in-depth and investigative journalism you can’t find anywhere else. 

In addition to its Canadian Association of Journalists nods, The Narwhal also won four Canadian Online Publishing Awards in 2018 and received multiple nominations for the Digital Publishing Awards and National Magazine Awards in 2019.

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