A controversial decision last year to substantially increase the number of cougars that can be hunted in Alberta was not based on science, according to government documents obtained by The Narwhal. Instead, expanded cougar hunting was “based on direction from [the] minister last year and input from stakeholders,” according to an internal email between senior […]

The BC government spent a decade killing wolves to protect caribou. Now, critics warn that despite questions about its effectiveness, ethics and impact on the rest of the environment, the government is moving to make the wolf cull a permanent part of its strategy.  Launched as a short-term emergency measure in 2015, the decade-long wolf […]

Rallies for endangered species. Protests led by First Nations. A filibuster from the NDP. More than 4,000 amendments tabled by the Liberals. Two committee hearings with Indigenous leaders, legal experts, labour representatives, and more. Despite all of it, Bill 5 passed. On June 5, as Ontarians across the province struggled to breathe through smoke-filled air […]

An after-action report released by the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organizations said communication during the Stein Lake wildfire near Saint Andrews in 2023 was challenging.  The wildfire burned more than 500 hectares, surpassing the province’s 10-year average and was started by an ATV that caught fire, according to Saint Andrews fire chief Kevin Theriault.  An […]

Phillip BlancherLocal Journalism Initiative Reporter CORNWALL – Rural schools in SDG Counties are receiving specific provincial funding, and the Rural Education Committee wants to know what that funding is and how it is used.  Members of the Rural Education Committee, an SDG Counties council committee formed in 2022, discussed the provincial Rural and Northern Education […]

Renfrew – The investigation into financial impropriety at Renfrew Victoria Hospital (RVH) has brought on positive changes to avoid future issues, including reunifying Renfrew Health (RH) with all hospital funds returned to RVH and assets to be transferred there, installing a new senior management team and new CEO, bringing in a “whistleblower” system and establishing […]

Manitoba’s sole cabinet minister has defended her work at a Winnipeg college and said she’s being unjustly targeted more than five years after an investigation concluded she had harassed an employee. At least three employees of Red River College Polytechnic filed separate complaints about the behaviour of their boss, Rebecca Chartrand, in 2019. Chartrand, who […]

When a cellphone or computer contains sensitive government documents, it can be a significant concern, even at the municipal level, if that device is carried across the border into the United States — particularly in light of the broad authority given to U.S. border officers to inspect electronic devices. On Thursday, Jun. 6, 2025, a […]

Measles continues to be an unwelcome visitor to schools in Norfolk County, causing kids to miss class as the school year enters the home stretch. Staff  and students at Houghton Public School — a rural elementary school in  southwestern Norfolk — were potentially exposed to measles on two  separate occasions in May, with each exposure […]

on their agenda. Included was a report by CAO Shane Ray on costs incurred by the RM in recent weeks. One of them referred to a $127,000 cheque ready to be issued to a company for their work on a cyberbreach at the RM office last year. “This is one of the companies that’s been […]

Residents of a Brant County subdivision are beginning to wonder if they’ll ever see a $1,500 lot grading deposit owed from the developer who built their homes. Dawn Laws was under the impression “we had to pay this money in case we made any changes to the property. If we didn’t make any changes to […]

Recent polls show housing and food security among top issues in Antigonish, Colchester, Cumberland, and Pictou counties.  Mental health counselling was the highest average reported need in Nova Scotia, although Halifax Regional Municipality made up a large plurality of total respondents (39 per cent), accounting for a skewed average of all counties. This article will […]