AI data centres, the Ring of Fire and more. It’s been a busy month for reporters at The Narwhal. Here’s @lmbaechlin.bsky.social with our first-ever news summary video, highlighting some of our stories.

Expanding Manitoba’s Port of Churchill could open an important economic corridor in the North. But the potential drawbacks — from the risk of oil spills to limited access due to ice cover — have some concerned, @jsrutgers.bsky.social reports. thenarwhal.ca/port-of-chur...

Alberta tabled a 2026-27 budget with a projected deficit of nearly $10 billion today, as falling oil prices continue to hammer provincial finances. @drewanderson.bsky.social shares five highlights from today's budget when it comes to the environment: thenarwhal.ca/alberta-budg...

Environment minister will work with Saskatchewan to “ensure” it follows the law, her office reiterated, as the province pushes to keep its coal plants open past Canada’s deadline. Dabrusin’s office was mum when asked if she would intervene thenarwhal.ca/saskatchewan...

Photographer Carlos Osorio captured some amazing pictures of the frozen Lake Erie this winter. People from all over travelled to see the frigid landscape in all its beauty @thenarwhal.ca thenarwhal.ca/frozen-lake-...

Saskatchewan plans to spend almost $1 billion to extend the life of its coal plants, putting the province on a crash course with a Canadian law that requires a coal phaseout by 2030. The feds could intervene, but aren't committing to. thenarwhal.ca/saskatchewan...

A researcher in Ontario interviewed 36 farmers to learn how extreme weather is impacting their mental health. Here’s what she learned: thenarwhal.ca/farmer-menta...

After revealing LNG Canada is flaring far above permitted levels, we went to experts. What they told us about a three-year fix — and the role of the BC Energy Regulator — raises new questions about timelines and enforcement. thenarwhal.ca/lng-canada-f... #bcpoli

B.C. plans to amend the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act by June. Opposition is growing — will the government listen? thenarwhal.ca/declaration-... #bcpoli

One of the most incredible things we've witnessed this winter are frozen Great Lakes, and none have frozen more than Lake Eerie. These pictures by Carlos Osorio will leave you in total awe.

When Lake Erie froze over almost completely this month, photographer Carlos Osorio set out to capture its solid state —and the people who came to visit it — just before the surface fractured. thenarwhal.ca/frozen-lake-...

Plans to build a massive AI data centre powered by a natural gas plant are racing ahead in Olds, Alta., and residents of the town are wary. If built, the data centre would consume as much electricity as the city of Edmonton. thenarwhal.ca/olds-alberta...

“The line between journalism and activism is on trial on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border, with far-reaching consequences for who gets to enjoy constitutionally protected press freedom,” UBC professor Peter W. Klein writes in this op-ed about our case. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

A new documentary, EMERGENCE, focuses on women in B.C. and Yellowknife who step up to help their communities after natural disasters. thenarwhal.ca/women-natura...

Dams have blocked salmon from making their traditional migration through the Columbia River Basin, so these First Nations are sharing fish eggs across the colonial border to help the salmon on their journey. From our friends at @indiginews.bsky.social: thenarwhal.ca/syilx-salmon...

Ontario needs more power, so the province is looking to nuclear to generate it, and taxpayers to fund it. @fatimabsyed.bsky.social digs into the big energy plan that involves building the first small modular reactor in North America. thenarwhal.ca/ontario-darl...

On the U.S. side of the Great Lakes, a nuclear revival is putting added pressure on the critical freshwater resources — just as Ontario also increases its nuclear fleet. Via @circleofblue.bsky.social thenarwhal.ca/nuclear-powe...

Our case against the RCMP for arresting photojournalist Amber Bracken is on break, but here's more about press freedom in Canada. The Canadian Bar Association cites our case in this post about a new project offering pro-bono legal services for journalists. www.nationalmagazine.ca/en-ca/articl...

B.C.’s 2026 budget promises growth through critical minerals and LNG. At the same time, a plan to change the Declaration Act is prompting warnings about denying First Nations access to justice. #bcpoli thenarwhal.ca/bc-budget-ec...

Told he couldn’t grow tropical crops in B.C., Toyin Kayo-Ajayi did it anyway. Now he’s feeding community and building space for Black farmers to grow culturally meaningful food closer to home. thenarwhal.ca/bc-black-far...

Premier David Eby wants to fast-track mining projects and amend Indigenous Rights legislation, raising questions about environmental oversight and who benefits from B.C.’s critical minerals agenda. thenarwhal.ca/bc-mining-pu...

🐦❤️ They had me at "bird-bae". Find your own Canadian lovebird. I found mine! Honk, honk! No r-egrets.

Okay that's some good old fashioned online quiz action. thenarwhal.com/lovebirds

I found my feathered soulmate - check out this fun quiz to find yours! #birds #valentinesday projects.thenarwhal.ca/lovebirds-qu...

New from me in @thenarwhal.ca! Moved by his ancestors, Ken Johnston retraced the Underground Railroad to Canada, logging more than 3,500 km on several freedom routes and highlighting incredible stories of success, perseverance and loss among Ontario’s early Black settlers:

Moved by his ancestors, Ken Johnston walked 265 kilometres through southern Ontario, following the Underground Railroad path of early Black settlers. @balkissoon.bsky.social tells the story behind the story in our latest newsletter: thenarwhal.ca/newsletter-o...

Herbicide use is B.C. forests has declined, but some companies are still using chemicals, including glyphosate, to clear away vegetation that might compete with planted trees. thenarwhal.ca/bc-glyphosat...

Facing push-back over groundwater concerns, a mining company in Manitoba is partnering with researchers to test a new technology that measures aquifer levels. If it works, it could improve real-time groundwater monitoring across the province, the lead researcher says. thenarwhal.ca/sio-silica-g...

The Great Lakes region is in the midst of a seismic energy shakeup, from skyrocketing data centre demand to a nuclear energy boom. Along with U.S. media partners, we’re kicking off a series on what this means for the lakes' water. thenarwhal.ca/energy-boom-...

A group studying the Ring of Fire, co-led by 15 First Nations along with a federal agency, is calling for immediate environmental monitoring ‘before any development occurs,’ along with health care funding for nearby communities. thenarwhal.ca/ring-of-fire...

In this interview, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew discusses the potential of a trade hub at Churchill — and a new pipeline carrying oil from Alberta to Hudson Bay. Via @jsrutgers.bsky.social: thenarwhal.ca/manitoba-por...

Winter in Alert Bay, B.C., is slow and exposed — frequent power outages, fewer open businesses and storms. For the ’Na̱mg̱is, life on the edge of the Pacific is shaped by efforts to assert stewardship and sovereignty. Photos and words by @writermjs.bsky.social: thenarwhal.ca/life-in-aler...

Conservation groups have filed a lawsuit against the federal government over delayed critical habitat mapping for southern mountain caribou. The federal government first promised to complete that mapping in 2014, but it has not yet been released. thenarwhal.ca/bc-caribou-h... #bcpoli

Called by his ancestors, Ken Johnston walked 1,360 kilometres through southern Ontario to retrace parts of the Underground Railroad. Here's what he learned about Black history in Canada, including the outdoor survival skills needed to escape enslavement. thenarwhal.ca/ontario-nort...

Some Canadian pension funds are divesting from fossil fuels. But the Canada Pension Plan continues to earn returns from oil and gas investments. Via @nationalobserver.com: thenarwhal.ca/cpp-fossil-f...

this quiz is obviously 100% accurate

We are super excited to debut the very first @thenarwhal.ca game! It's a Valentine's quiz thought up by @michellecyca.com and illustrated by @gabrielledrolet.bsky.social - go find out what bird should be your bae. Mine's the Canada Goose! projects.thenarwhal.ca/lovebirds-qu...

This is adorable. I know my Chimney Swift is out there!!

Obsessed. Thank you @michellecyca.com @gabrielledrolet.bsky.social and @thenarwhal.ca for this quiz that I will now make absolutely everyone take. projects.thenarwhal.ca/lovebirds-quiz

at @thenarwhal.ca, after countless serious (and unserious) conversations among our team about which bird would make the best boyfriend, we have finally produced an extremely scientific quiz to find your ideal nest-mate: projects.thenarwhal.ca/lovebirds-qu...

🐦 💘 It's the season for lovebirds! 💘 🦅 But ... which bird? From the iconic goose to the snowy owl, from monogamous to poly, there’s got to be one out there for you. Our Valentine's Day quiz will reveal the Canadian bird that best meets your relationship needs.

Has your partner ever built you a home in a chimney? Or regurgitated food to save you all that tiresome chewing? If not, perhaps it’s time to look beyond the human dating pool. Check out the very first Narwhal quiz, and find your Canadian lovebird. projects.thenarwhal.ca/lovebirds-qu...

A mining company in northern Ontario hopes to turn tailings waste into a giant carbon sink — but why so many Bruce Springsteen references? Find out in our latest newsletter: thenarwhal.ca/newsletter-b...

LNG Canada’s facility in Kitimat, B.C., burned more than 1.7 million cubic metres of gas on a single day in September. While that day was an outlier, documents obtained through a freedom of information request reveal the facility consistently burned 15 times more gas per day than expected.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner John Brewer testified yesterday in The Narwhal's case against the police force for arresting photojournalist Amber Bracken. Here's coverage from The Canadian Press. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

If all goes to plan, Canada Nickel could store carbon emissions from its mine outside Timmins, Ont., in its waste rock — and it’s getting millions of public dollars to figure out how to do it. via @meyer.bsky.social thenarwhal.ca/crawford-nic...

Winnipeg’s transit system upgrade was supposed to increase ridership, but the data — though not entirely reliable — suggests it may have done the opposite, @jsrutgers.bsky.social reports thenarwhal.ca/winnipeg-tra...

The federal government is closing seven of its farm research centres, where scientists develop resilient crop varieties and test new agricultural practices. Farmers worry the cutbacks could threaten their competitiveness, as drought and other climate pressures mount. thenarwhal.ca/canada-agric...

Manitoba’s Hudson Bay region is home to beluga whales, polar bears and a rich mix of other marine species. The biodiverse area will receive provincial and federal funding to study its conservation potential, amid a push for economic development thenarwhal.ca/manitoba-hud...

A citizen-led challenge to Saskatchewan’s continuing use of coal power failed last month when a judge sided with the province. Via @nationalobserver.com: thenarwhal.ca/court-denies...