The Narwhal's staff and contributors were all smiles at the Canadian Association of Journalists' gala after taking home a slew of awards for stories our members helped make possible.
Before we dive into one good news story, I’d like to tell you about another: our mission to add 500 new members in May was a grand success!
We know times are tough right now yet, one by one, our readers stepped up to support independent journalism by becoming members of The Narwhal. Thanks to these new members (and two generous matching donors!), we can move ahead with three ambitious pieces of investigative journalism over the next few months.
Feeling generally down about the dumpster fire that is our world these days, so I did something to cheer myself up: I became a supporter of @thenarwhalca. Good journalism can make a world of difference.
Likely born a few months ago, J59 is proving to be a beacon of hope for B.C.’s critically endangered southern resident killer whales.
And thanks to her playful rolls, researchers have been able to determine that J59 is a girl — which means, eventually, she could help play an, ahem, role in bringing her species back from the brink.
This is the first calf born into J pod since September 2020. As of December, researchers counted just 73 southern residents across three pods.
“Deborah Giles, the science and research director of the non-profit Wild Orca, told me that we should be seeing six or seven new southern resident calves every year and that’s just not happening,” The Narwhal’s B.C. biodiversity reporter Ainslie Cruickshank told me.
“So to see J59 born earlier this year, the first J pod calf in two years, is really exciting. And for a lot of people, the fact that she was a girl, offered this added hope that she will one day be able to have calves of her own.”
But, unfortunately, there are plenty of obstacles that could get in the way of that. As Ainslie reports, nearly 70 per cent of the southern residents that do become pregnant either miscarry or lose their calves shortly after birth.
Underwater noise, from things like tanker traffic, can wreak havoc on the orcas’ ability to communicate and find food. Then there’s the matter of the food itself: Chinook salmon, the go-to for southern residents, is in decline due to a host of pressures including wildfires, logging and mining.
“I think we need to spend some more time understanding that what we do in the forest up in the interior has an impact on the southern resident killer whales’ ability to survive,” Sm’hayetsk (Teresa Ryan), a long-time member of the Pacific Salmon Commission’s Joint Chinook Technical Committee, told Ainslie.
Go here to read all about J59 and what needs to be done to turn things around for southern residents.
New hunting rules fuel division in B.C., four First Nations say By Matt Simmons Four Treaty 8 nations are calling out the province for ignoring input on balancing conservation needs with the interests of local hunters and guide outfitters.
‘It feels like an afterthought’: Mississauga and Brampton transit users weigh in on Hurontario LRT By Fatima Syed READ MORE
First, Doug Ford ‘stopped the carbon tax’: how Progressive Conservatives reshaped Ontario’s environmental policy By Emma McIntosh and Fatima Syed READ MORE
What we’re reading
When you’re popping up with some cheerful news. Tell your friends that our newsletter offers a bit of levity in between all the serious stuff.
Here at The Narwhal, we do journalism differently. As an independent non-profit, we’re accountable to you, our readers — not advertisers or shareholders. So we measure our success based on real-world impact: evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.
Our stories have been raised in legislatures across the country and cited by citizens in petitions and letters to politicians.
Take our reporting on Alberta’s decision to allow cougar hunting in parks, which was cited in an official ethics complaint against the parks minister. And, after we revealed an oil and gas giant was permitted to sidestep the rules for more than 4,300 pipelines, the BC Energy Regulator started posting the exemptions it grants publicly.
This kind of work takes time, money and a lot of grit. And we can’t do it without the support of thousands of readers just like you.
Here at The Narwhal, we do journalism differently. As an independent non-profit, we’re accountable to you, our readers — not advertisers or shareholders. So we measure our success based on real-world impact: evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.
Our stories have been raised in legislatures across the country and cited by citizens in petitions and letters to politicians.
Take our reporting on Alberta’s decision to allow cougar hunting in parks, which was cited in an official ethics complaint against the parks minister. And, after we revealed an oil and gas giant was permitted to sidestep the rules for more than 4,300 pipelines, the BC Energy Regulator started posting the exemptions it grants publicly.
This kind of work takes time, money and a lot of grit. And we can’t do it without the support of thousands of readers just like you.
We’re fighting for our right to report — and your right to know. Stay in the loop about our trial against the RCMP and get a weekly dose of The Narwhal’s independent journalism
We’re fighting for our right to report — and your right to know. Stay in the loop about our trial against the RCMP and get a weekly dose of The Narwhal’s independent journalism
