At a time when questions persist about the future and health of journalism, The Narwhal has emerged as one of Canada’s most trusted and respected outlets for environmental news. Starting out in British Columbia in 2018, The Narwhal has steadily increased the geographic scope of its coverage, racking up readers, recognition, and awards along the way.

The Narwhal’s reporting has been regularly cited in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and CBC. This year alone, they won 10 national journalism awards and co-founders Emma Gilchrist and Carol Linnitt were named to the 2022 Clean 50.

In September, The Narwhal officially launched its Ontario bureau with tremendous support from Ontarians — including 10,000 people who signed up to support its expansion into the province — and funding from the Metcalf Foundation, McConnell Foundation, and Echo Foundation.

The new bureau of award-winning journalists includes:

• Denise Balkissoon, Ontario Bureau Chief
  Denise brings over 20 years of experience to lead The Narwhal Ontario bureau. She was most recently the executive editor of Chatelaine and previously worked a columnist and editor at The Globe and Mail.
• Emma McIntosh, Ontario Reporter
  Emma has worked as an investigative reporter at the Toronto Star and was most recently the Queen’s Park reporter at the National Observer. In 2019, she won a Canadian Association of Journalists’ award for human rights reporting.
• Fatima Syed, Ontario Reporter
  Fatima has worked for The Walrus, the Toronto Star, The Logic, and National Observer, and is host of Canadaland’s podcast about politics, The Backbench. During the pandemic, she provided in-depth coverage on its impact in Peel Region for The Local.

The Metcalf Foundation first supported The Narwhal in 2020 when we funded the award-winning Carbon Cache series — which examines the role of Canada’s natural landscapes in the fight against climate change — and eagerly committed additional funding for the Ontario expansion.