The Narwhal
@thenarwhalca
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We tell stories about the natural world in Canada you can’t find anywhere else. Sign up: https://t.co/TlQv6DP9js Become a member: https://t.co/jXsMqA55tb
Joined January 2013
We are extremely disturbed to learn photo journalist @photobracken was arrested by the RCMP while she was documenting arrests in Wet'suwet'en territory today. RCMP are refusing to release Amber, in violation of her charter rights.
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After 11 months of dogged reporting from The Narwhal and beyond, Doug Ford has succumbed to public pressure and walked back his controversial Greenbelt plans. It highlights the role of independent journalism, @balkissoon writes in this week’s newsletter.
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Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre has publicly criticized lobbyists, calling them "utterly useless." Federal records show he or his staff communicated with oil and gas lobbyists 46 times over the course of a year.
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The Narwhal has uncovered the existence of an email that could reveal how Ontario chose the areas where it dropped Greenbelt protections. The Ford government’s refusal to release it violates the public’s right to know, @balkissoon writes. #onpoli #cdnfoi
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Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk just dropped an explosive 95-page audit of the Ford government’s decision to open huge swaths of Greenbelt land to development. Turns out, developers influenced those cuts — and non-elected political staff led the way.
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We strongly condemn this behaviour by the RCMP, who were informed @photobracken was on assignment for The Narwhal. Amber also carried a formal letter of assignment with her.
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Talk about timing. In September, prominent developer Michael Rice paid $80M for land that’s been protected for almost two decades. Weeks later, Doug Ford announced changes to the Greenbelt. Rice’s land was suddenly set to open up for housing.
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Uhhh… so… we just won Canada’s most prestigious journalism prize with our friends at @TorontoStar for our dogged Greenbelt coverage?!?!. We’re . speechless. A huge thank you to our members — who make this work possible — for believing in this little newsroom that could. ❤️🔥.
Félicitations aux gagnants du Prix Michener de 2023, @thenarwhalca et @torontostar pour leur reportage sur le scandale sur la ceinture de verdure de l’Ontario.
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On Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford broke his promise to not open up the protected Greenbelt to development. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to bleak news these days for the province’s environmental protections. #onpoli 🧵.
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BREAKING: “It was a mistake to open the Greenbelt,” Premier Doug Ford said, adding that the land opened to development would be returned to the protected area — which he says he will never touch again. #onpoli via @EmmaMci @fatimabsyed
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Thanks to the persistence of The Narwhal and others, including @globeandmail, an Alberta watchdog has agreed to launch a systemic investigation into the Danielle Smith government’s secrecy. via @mikedesouza #cdnfoi #abpoli #secretcanada
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“We’re running at a 50 per cent capacity.”. “[They] whittled away a world-class firefighting response program.”. “We all knew this was going to happen.” . Alberta firefighters are speaking out about UCP government cuts. via @trinamoyles #ABWildfire #abpoli
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🥁 Drumroll please! 🥁.After an outpouring of support from readers, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our new Ontario bureau, led by the incredible @balkissoon and with superstars @fatimabsyed and @EmmaMci!.Via @mikedesouza
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In the wake of reporting by The Narwhal and @TorontoStar, MPP @maritstiles is calling for an auditor general probe into the Ford government’s Greenbelt changes — and how much developers might stand to gain. via @EmmaMci #onpoli
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A watchdog said his handling of the Greenbelt files was “chaotic and almost reckless.” Now, new information links Ryan Amato, the political staffer at the centre of the Greenbelt scandal, to the head of the Ontario Provincial Police. #onpoli @Thetrilliumca
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It's 5:03 p.m. in Ontario but we've got BREAKING NEWS: The Narwhal has learned the Ontario government is mulling changes to environmental laws that it believes will block lawsuits from landowners and fast-track highway, energy and transit projects. #onpoli
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SCOOP: The Alberta gov said its renewables pause came after a request from the Alberta Electric System Operator, but emails show the operator’s top official found the plan ‘very troubling’ and was ‘not comfortable’ supporting it. @drewpanderson reports.
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INVESTIGATION: Over half the parcels of land set to lose long-standing Ontario Greenbelt protections include properties purchased since the Progressive Conservatives won the 2018 election, The Narwhal and @TorontoStar have found. #onpoli
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The results are in: NDP Leader Wab Kinew is set to lead Manitoba through the next four years, bringing the Progressive Conservatives’ seven-year reign to a close. Here’s what that means for the environment, @jsrutgers writes. #mbpoli #mbelxn #mbelxn23 🗳
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INVESTIGATION: Doug Ford’s government forced Hamilton to sprawl into farmland and green space after requests from unnamed third parties, ignoring expert warnings about unknown (and unassessed) environmental risks. via @EmmaMci + @fatimabsyed #onpoli
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Ten First Nations are launching a lawsuit against Ontario and Canada today, arguing that resource extraction has violated Treaty 9 and Indigenous jurisdiction for over a century. The case could stall the province's plans to mine the Ring of Fire.
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This selfie is the best we got — our team just won one of Canada’s most prestigious journalism awards tonight for their Greenbelt reporting! Look at how happy these three look, celebrating *more than a year* of relentless work.
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Ontario’s Appeal Court has ruled seven youth have a case against the Doug Ford government over its “inadequate” emissions reduction target. @fatimabsyed spoke to their lawyer
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Tomorrow, Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk is releasing her report on the Doug Ford government’s decision to open 3,000 hectares of the protected Greenbelt to development. @emmamci and @fatimabsyed have been all over this story: here’s what to read to catch up. #onpoli 🧵.
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Internal documents show Ontario asked researchers to downplay the findings of a report on how climate change will impact food, buildings and people. Now the government seems to be avoiding its suggested solutions, @fatimabsyed reports. #onpoli
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The cabinet shuffle shows the Greenbelt scandal is hurting the Ford government, but a leaked document suggests it’s still choosing development over environmental protections. via @EmmaMci, @fatimabsyed & @balkissoon #onpoli
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BREAKING: Charges have been dropped against journalists @photobracken and @M_Tol, who were arrested and detained for three nights on civil contempt charges while reporting on militarized RCMP raids on #Wetsuweten territory. #PressFreedom
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On a chilly winter day in November 2021, news broke that Amber Bracken (@photobracken) had been arrested by the RCMP while reporting for The Narwhal from Wet’suwet’en territory in northwestern B.C. Uproar ensued.
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“I’m very worried about what’s happening with the Greenbelt,” federal Environment Minister @s_guilbeault warned Ontario this morning. The minister added that he's halted projects elsewhere that threaten endangered species. #onpoli #cdnpoli
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Cutting into the Greenbelt. Sending more sewage towards Lake Ontario. Gutting conservation authorities. We’re tracking all the ways Doug Ford is altering Ontario’s environmental policies in his second term. via @EmmaMci @fatimabsyed #onpoli
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The Ford government is slashing environmental protections. And it turns out Ontario has been neglecting things for years — from flood risks to the Niagara Escarpment to invasive species. @EmmaMci + @fatimabsyed break down new auditor general findings.
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All too often, these incidents also involve Indigenous Rights. Previous court rulings have been clear: the arrest of Indigenous Peoples on their lands concerns every single person in this country — and should be a matter of public record, not hidden behind police lines.
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Breaking: Federal cabinet has rejected Steven Guilbeault’s request for an emergency order to protect the endangered spotted owl. “It’s like the rug was totally pulled out from under us,” Spuzzum First Nation’s Chief says. via @sarahcox_bc #cdnpoli #bcpoli
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In filing this lawsuit, our goal is to clear a path for all journalists in Canada to do their work without risk of police interference. Let’s be clear: we would never have been able to take this bold step without the support of our thousands of readers, donors and members.
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Hours before the long weekend, the Ontario government dropped *another* series of new development changes that could make it easier to build on farmland. Here’s what we know so far. #onpoli
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A leaked confidential document shows Doug Ford was advised of environmental risks in the PC’s new housing legislation, but moved forward anyway to win developer support. @fatimabsyed & @EmmaMci have a list of protections he wants to weaken, or cut. #onpoli
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“Several RCMP buses have been spotted coming up the hill.”. On Friday, militarized police officers smashed open a tiny house and arrested Indigenous land defenders, and media, on #Wetsuweten territory. Here's what happened, as captured by @photobracken:
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Our case aims to establish meaningful consequences for police when they interfere with the constitutional rights of journalists covering events in injunction zones, including liberty rights and the freedom of the press as protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
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NEW: Alberta has quietly opened cougar hunting in a provincial park. It's the latest in a slew of changes to hunting rules from Alberta Parks and Forestry Minister Todd Loewen, who is a hunter and whose family owns a hunting business.
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NEW: B.C. Supreme Court says the province has a duty to consult with First Nations before mineral claims are made in their territories, ruling on a case brought forward by Gitxaała Nation and Ehattesaht First Nation, @FrancescaFionda reports. #bcpoli
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Today, when we walked into a courthouse in Vancouver to file our court documents, we imagined thousands of you walking with us, hand in hand in this mission to hold the RCMP accountable.
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To not move forward with this case would be to turn our backs on what’s right — and to turn our backs on all the stories that happen in remote places without the watchful eyes of journalists, due to the chilling effect of arrests like these.
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Documents obtained by @DrewPAnderson show Alberta’s electricity grid operator felt pressured to make false statements about the government’s pause on renewables, but refused to comply. “We will not lie.”
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Overriding local planners, the Doug Ford government threw another curveball at six municipalities on Tuesday — forcing at least four to sprawl outward — in a long series of changes to farmland and development. @EmmaMci and @fatimabsyed explain #onpoli
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Dealing with fallout over a report calling his land-use policies "biased" in favour of developers, Premier Doug Ford said houses on the Greenbelt are a must for Ontario to keep welcoming immigrants. @fatimabsyed poked a few holes in that idea a while back.
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In more #onpoli news, the Ford government is set to open the Greenbelt up for development. While @fatimabsyed & @EmmaMci dig deep to understand what’s going on, here’s EVERYTHING you need to know about it — from how it was founded to why it’s protected.
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A topless person interrupted @AvrilLavigne at the #Junos to protest development in Ontario's Greenbelt. What's happening with the Greenbelt you ask? We've got you covered. (We assume Avril thought "why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?").
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In leaked recordings, TC Energy staffers outlined a 7-part playbook about their allegedly outsized pro-oil and gas influence over everyone from premiers to CSIS to the Wall Street Journal. Here’s everything you need to know via @writermjs & @mikedesouza .
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Amber’s arrest sparked international media attention, outrage from press freedom organizations and an all-hands-on-deck legal effort to get her out of jail. Thousands of our readers wrote letters to government officials demanding her release. Hundreds donated for legal aid.
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As a small, non-profit news organization, we didn’t want to have to bring a lengthy, expensive litigation against one of the most powerful organizations in our country. But ultimately we realized we had no other choice.
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The Narwhal has snagged six award nominations from the Canadian Association of Journalists. “We are so honoured to see the tireless work of our nonprofit newsroom recognized alongside the best journalism in Canada,” @reporteremma says.
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INVESTIGATION: In a leaked audio recording, a TC Energy exec — & former BC NDP staffer — made bold claims about how the fossil fuel giant leveraged political connections to weaken government climate policy. B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma wants a probe.
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This Friday, a group of Narwhals are headed to Ottawa, where they’ll get dolled up for dinner at the Governor General’s residence, Rideau Hall. For the very first time, we’re a finalist for the Michener Award — Canada’s most prestigious journalism prize.
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Before Ryan Amato became a central figure in the Greenbelt scandal, he worked on Ontario’s Bradford Bypass and Highway 413. New documents show little record of that work, and critics are raising questions. Via @EmmaMci
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This is going to be a long journey, and we invite you to walk with us. 1. Sign up for our live online event on Wednesday: .2. Make a donation to our legal defence fund:
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The #Greenbeltscandal has been making headlines for 10 months in Ontario. As new details emerge every day, have a look at the comprehensive investigation by @EmmaMci , @njaved & @bkennedystar that triggered much of the subsequent fallout: #onpoli.
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Land defenders and journalists who were arrested by RCMP last week in Wet'suwet'en traditional territory are about to appear in court. We will be live-tweeting updates over here.
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Pardon the extra chipper Narwhal staff this week — our not-so-little little publication has been nominated for *three* National Newspaper Awards this year! @NNA_CCJ
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BREAKING NEWS: RCMP launches Greenbelt investigation. @fatimabsyed & @EmmaMci have all of your Greenbelt updates covered here: #onpoli.
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If you have burning questions about the case, check out our FAQ page. If you can’t find your answer there, send us a message.
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.@photobracken has been released from jail — on the condition that she'll appear in court in February. The fight for press freedom in Canada continues. The RCMP must be held accountable for illegal actions against journalists. Take action:
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Waterloo Region is threatening to expropriate 800 acres of farmland in Wilmot, Ont., for industrial development. The landowners have many questions, but answers — and options — are scarce. #onpoli via @fatimabsyed
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Another award nomination? In this economy??? Kidding! We’re thrilled to share our first ever nomination for the Michener Award — one of Canada’s highest honours in journalism — with @TorontoStar for our reporting on the Greenbelt scandal! @EmmaMci 🥳
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Four First Nations in Manitoba have signed a historic conservation agreement, which is set to make the pristine 50,000-square-kilometre Seal River Watershed region the province’s first federally recognized Indigenous protected area, @jsrutgers reports:
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THREAD: When we sent @photobracken to Wet’suwet’en territory to report on one of the biggest stories in the country, we didn’t anticipate she’d become part of the story.
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Enbridge Gas is "freaking out" about the future of natural gas — the Doug Ford government is listening. Internal records show officials from the company and the Ministry of Energy have been in close contact about the energy transition. via @fatimabsyed
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The Narwhal has earned its first wins at the National Newspaper Awards, sharing prizes with @IndigiNewsMedia and @TorontoStar for journalism published in 2023.
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Ontario’s minister of natural resources will soon have the power to overrule — or bypass — conservation authorities to greenlight development. “It’s just going to cause chaos,” an @ecojustice_ca lawyer told @fatimabsyed. #onpoli
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NEW: The RCMP has been collecting information about their interactions with journalists @photobracken and @M_Tol in a national database that tracks law enforcement investigations, affidavits released today reveal. @mikedesouza.reports:
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The number of Alberta oil and gas wells overdue for inspection has more than doubled since 2018, to more than 7,500. Meanwhile, the province has paused approvals for renewables projects, citing concerns about future liabilities. via @DrewPAnderson #abpoli
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We have major news! ☀️ The Narwhal wants to expand to Ontario — but first we need to know we have your support. We’re ready to open a bureau and produce even more investigative journalism. Here’s where you come in: sign up and spread the word.
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NEW: On Dec. 28, during the holiday break, the Ford government told conservation authorities their ability to protect vital watersheds and species at risk — services they’ve provided for 50 years — would be limited as of Jan. 1. via @fatimabsyed #onpoli
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The Unist'ot'en camp is located 66 kilometres from the infamous Highway of Tears, notorious for its connection to the disappearance and murder of Indigenous women in B.C., many of whom camp founder Freda Huson knew personally. #bcpoli #wetsuweten.
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Internal docs reveal resource industries and gov sought the ‘surrender’ of Indigenous land rights in the wake of the precedent-setting Delgamuukw decision, which affirmed Aboriginal title on unceded territory. via @Martin_Lukacs @shiripasternak #wetsuweten.
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NEW: Indigenous leaders have burned a pipeline agreement and set up B.C. road blockade in opposition to the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline, set to begin construction this weekend. #bcpoli via @writermjs
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We’ve got the dirt on how Doug Ford is shaping Ontario’s environmental laws in his second term — now updated with the latest info and a handy table of contents! #onpoli
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📣 New job alert! 📣. The Narwhal is eager to take the lead from an Indigenous editor to ramp up our coverage of Indigenous-led conservation! Application deadline: Jan. 26. Spread the word!
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Ontario plans to start building Highway 413 next year, eventually running it through the Greenbelt. But an internal document shows the Ford government doesn't know when the design will be complete, let alone when the road will open. #onpoli
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The catastrophic July 16 floods are a reminder the Greater Toronto Area is profoundly unprepared for the future that climate change will bring. Governments need to invest in expensive and deeply unsexy infrastructure projects, and soon. via @fatimabsyed
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It’s #CAJAwards day, and we’re proud to announce that @photobracken has won the photojournalism category award for her work documenting Wet’suwet’en land defenders. Bracken was wrongfully arrested and detained by the RCMP while covering police raids.
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Recently our editorial team has been discussing something challenging but perhaps unsurprising: the vast majority of story pitches we receive are from writers who are white, in part because we haven’t done more to seek out non-white writers.
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A historic agreement between the Haida and B.C. recognizes the First Nation's ownership across the Haida Gwaii archipelago — meaning a colonial government is no longer lord of the land via @hakaimagazine
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Our eagle-eyed Ontario bureau is keeping track of how the Doug Ford government is changing environmental policy in its second term. The newest additions to our rolling list are about Ontario Place, mine waste, suburban sprawl and more.
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Our Ontario team is still tracking all of the Ford government's changes to environmental policy. Item 26 in today's update: a proposal to exempt some developers from making plans to limit water use, reduce flood risk or protect drinking water 👀 #onpoli
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Here's one of the many photos shot by @photobracken before her arrest on Friday. Pictured: militarized police breach a locked tiny house on Gidimt’en territory. Stay tuned for more coverage, and go here to support independent journalism:
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@photobracken BREAKING: The Narwhal and photojournalist Amber Bracken have filed a lawsuit in British Columbia’s Supreme Court against the RCMP for wrongful arrest, wrongful detention and violation of our Charter rights.
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The timeline of the Doug Ford government’s decision to remove parcels of land from Ontario’s Greenbelt has always been murky. Our chronology works backwards from today's auditor general report to Ford's 2018 promise to leave the protected area intact.
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“The RCMP need to realize we are not a police state. They don’t get to control editorial,” @karyn_pugliese tells The Narwhal. #wetsuweten #RCMP #bcpoli #cdnmedia.
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“Indigenous people don’t need the Crown authority to do this,” lawyer @Kris_Statnyk said. “What Gwininitxw did was based on laws that are way older than Canada.”. via @writermjs
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Oil barrels lying on the ground. Murky water flowing into wetlands, lakes and rivers. A growing list of infractions reveals a pattern of #CoastalGasLink failing to abide by the rules of the pipeline project’s environmental permits, @writermjs reports.
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At least 11 species at risk live along the planned route of Ontario's Highway 413. Documents obtained by @EmmaMci and @njaved suggest the Ford government's pet project might require a full, lengthy federal intervention. Our first collab w @TorontoStar!
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B.C. just signed a “historic” $1-billion nature agreement, promising protections for whittling old-growth forests and species at risk. “It’s nature, it’s conservation, it’s restoration, but it’s also about reconciliation,” @s_guilbeault told The Narwhal.
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Oilsands companies want to transport carbon pollution through a 400-km pipeline and bury it in rural Alberta. Yesterday, the energy regulator said it won't require an environmental assessment. Here are 5 questions being asked by locals along the route.
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