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The federal government has approved the Crawford nickel-cobalt mine north of Timmins, Ont., having concluded that the proposed mine’s “adverse effects” are “justified in the public interest.” Here’s our earlier story on the mine — and what it might mean for Timmins.
Massive nickel mine planned north of Timmins, Ontario | The NarwhalAmid a critical minerals rush, Canada Nickel’s Crawford mine project offers risks and opportunities for Timmins, in northern Ontario.thenarwhal.caIt's getting harder and harder to tell well-informed stories across Canada, but patience and persistence still pay off. In this week's newsletter, a behind-the-scenes look at how @fatimabsyed.bsky.social's latest scoop came about ⤵️
Getting the story, when governments won't talkIt’s increasingly difficult to tell well-informed stories across Canada. But a recent Narwhal investigation shows patience and persistence still pay offthenarwhal.ca🍑 It's peach season! 🍑 And just like the rest of us, the tender fruit is coping with the many challenges of climate change. Scientist Jay Subramanian talks to @balkissoon.bsky.social about his work as Canada's last peach breeder, designing climate-resilient fruit for the future.
He's protecting Ontario peaches from climate change | The NarwhalIn Niagara, fruit breeder Jay Subramanian is designing a peach that will reduce food waste, allow workers to avoid heat waves — and taste deliciousthenarwhal.caSCOOP: The Doug Ford government received 98.98% opposition to its plan to replace Ontario’s Endangered Species Act with weaker legislation, according to an internal analysis viewed by @fatimabsyed.bsky.social. The bill passed anyway. thenarwhal.ca/ontario-enda...
98.98% opposition to Doug Ford’s new endangered species law revealed | The NarwhalInternal Ministry of Environment analysis shows ‘confusion’ and concerns about ‘negative impacts on Ontario’s biodiversity’ raised over the Species Conservation Act, under Bill 5thenarwhal.caLNG Canada’s original plans for its Kitimat, B.C, plant included a commitment to operate "without routine flaring." That commitment was later removed from submissions to the BC Energy Regulator, and in 2025, almost 10 per cent of all gas transported to the terminal was burned off.
LNG Canada dropped commitments to operate ‘without routine flaring’: docs | The NarwhalFor years, LNG Canada made environmental commitments in documents submitted to BC Energy Regulator (BCER). It removed them before the Kitimat facility launchedthenarwhal.caIn the Inuit community of Nain, thawing permafrost is shifting the ground beneath everyone's feet. As the Arctic warms, permafrost is thawing faster — and threatening to accelerate climate change, reports Frey Blake-Pijogge thenarwhal.ca/nain-permafr...
Permafrost thaw is transforming northern communities | The NarwhalIn the rapidly warming Arctic, permafrost thaw is transforming the landscape in unpredictable and challenging waysthenarwhal.caBC Parks calls Carmanah Walbran Park "one of the most remarkable wild places on Vancouver Island.” But for months, it has been nearly inaccessible, as a logging company has gated one entrance and left landslide debris blocking the other, @camfenton.bsky.social reports. thenarwhal.ca/bc-carmanah-...
Logging company closes access to B.C. provincial park | The NarwhalMany B.C. parks are accessible only by resource roads controlled by private companies. The Carmanah Walbran closure raises questions about access to public landthenarwhal.caSamuel de Champlain Provincial Park was nearly levelled in a 2025 summer storm. Now visitors have been welcomed back and thousands of new trees have been planted with the changing climate in mind. thenarwhal.ca/rebuilding-s...
Replanting a northern Ontario forest for climate change | The NarwhalSamuel de Champlain Provincial Park was destroyed in a storm in 2025. Visitors are back this summer, and thousands of trees are being plantedthenarwhal.ca“This is a dream that could truly change the world. Friends, the era of empty rhetoric on the environment is over. We’re taking real action that will produce real, tangible results.” — Stephen Harper, 2007 @meyer.bsky.social on 19 years of carbon capture promises: thenarwhal.ca/newsletter-c...
Canada’s carbon capture chronicle | The NarwhalTo catalogue Canadian leaders’ promises on carbon capture, I had to go through national archives. The story is one of big dreams, with little resultsthenarwhal.caThanks to @thebigstory.bsky.social for having @michellecyca.com on to discuss her piece on exotic cats!
The Big StoryIn #BC it is illegal to own a large exotic cat but there is a middle ground of cat, breeds much bigger than domestic cats but smaller than cheetahs and tigers, that has remained largely unregulated. Until now. Journalist @michellecyca.com who covered this for @thenarwhal.ca joins us lnk.to/bigstory
What is it like to live with grizzly bears? Reporter Trina Moyles travelled to Haines Junction, Yukon, to find out. It has one of the highest concentrations of grizzlies in the territory. Here's her story about coexistence, with incredible photos by Sonny Parker thenarwhal.ca/grizzly-bear...
How a Yukon town lives alongside grizzly bears | The NarwhalHaines Junction sits in one of Yukon’s densest grizzly bear corridors. Indigenous Knowledge and decades of prevention are helping people and bears coexistthenarwhal.caCanadian politicians have for two decades promised carbon capture technology would slow industrial emissions that drive global warming. @meyer.bsky.social dug into those promises, as a deadly wildfire season — made worse by climate change — ravages the country. thenarwhal.ca/wildfires-ca...
A glance at Canada’s carbon capture promises as wildfires burn | The NarwhalAs wildfires driven by climate change rage on, Canadian politicians from Harper to Carney have for two decades promised to use unproven technology to abate industrial carbon pollutionthenarwhal.caIn 2021, Premier Doug Ford was personally presented with 20 recommendations to improve emergency management in northern Ontario. The auditor general later offered another 30. Little progress was made before the deadliest wildfire season on record. thenarwhal.ca/ontario-igno...
First Nations gave Doug Ford a wildfire plan. Ontario ignored it | The NarwhalIndigenous leaders and the auditor general gave Ontario several emergency management recommendations over the years. Little progress was madethenarwhal.caSome of you might have heard about stickers in Saint John that link to a recent Narwhal story (🔗 below). We’re glad people find our stories informative, but we’d like to make it clear we had nothing to do with these stickers being made or being put up around the city. thenarwhal.ca/lorneville-a...
New Brunswick residents battle an AI data centre | The NarwhalThe proposed data centre and its on-site gas plant in Lorneville, N.B., would raze wetlands and forest and be one of the province’s largest greenhouse gas emittersthenarwhal.caIt was March 2007. Apple had just debuted the iPhone. The Iraq War was raging. Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth had won two Oscars. And the prime minister of Canada was talking about “the exciting new technology called carbon capture and storage.” by @meyer.bsky.social: thenarwhal.ca/canada-carbo...
For 20 years, Canada’s leaders have promised a carbon capture fix | The NarwhalIt’s expensive and unproven at scale. From Stephen Harper to Mark Carney, Canadian politicians have made promises on carbon capture — yet to be deliveredthenarwhal.caRajpreet Sahota has joined The Narwhal as our first-ever community and policy reporting fellow. During a ten-month fellowship, Rajpreet will report on Ontario environmental policy, with a focus on how it impacts racialized communities. Welcome, Rajpreet! 🎉 thenarwhal.ca/rajpreet-sah...
Meet Rajpreet Sahota, The Narwhal’s new reporting fellow | The NarwhalFrom her home in downtown Toronto, Rajpreet will be reporting on how environmental policy impacts racialized communities in Ontariothenarwhal.caThree-quarters of Canadians are worried about poor air quality due to wildfire smoke. In B.C., people are learning to build effective, low-cost air purifiers. @sobittersosweet.bsky.social's latest: thenarwhal.ca/diy-air-puri...
How to make a $60 air purifier, as Canada’s wildfires rage on | The NarwhalAir purifiers can help protect your lungs from wildfire smoke. In B.C., volunteers are teaching people how to build low-cost onesthenarwhal.ca@meyer.bsky.social dug deep into the archives to lay out nearly two decades of Canadian politicians' big promises on carbon capture. Spoiler: they sound a bit like a broken record. thenarwhal.ca/canada-carbo...
Carbon capture promises by politicians span almost 20 years | The NarwhalIt’s expensive and unproven at scale. From Stephen Harper to Mark Carney, Canadian politicians have made promises on carbon capture — yet to be deliveredthenarwhal.ca"Enough is enough": after decades of diesel contamination at the heart of their community, Attawapiskat First Nation is suing Ontario and the federal government over failing to remediate land urgently needed for housing, Rajpreet Sahota reports. thenarwhal.ca/ontario-atta...
Attawapiskat First Nation sues over diesel contamination | The Narwhal‘Enough is enough’: Attawapiskat First Nation is taking Ontario and Canada to court over remediation after decades of inactionthenarwhal.ca