Ainslie Cruickshank

Biodiversity Reporter at The Narwhal

BC biodiversity reporter @thenarwhalca. Reach me at [email protected].

Articles

In northern Ontario, it’s complicated

2 weeks ago | thenarwhal.ca | Ainslie Cruickshank |Carl Meyer |Elaine Anselmi |Matt Simmons |Emma McIntosh

For a few months, we’ve been asking noteworthy people across Canada to describe their relationship with the natural world in our Moose Questionnaire. It’s an effort to build community and celebrate how all of us have our own connection to the land and water. And I was so excited to give the questionnaire to Inuk actor Anna Lambe. The 23-year-old is known for True Detective and The Grizzlies, and she has a new show, North of North, which brings a humorous and honest take on life in the North.
Trump funding cuts put Canadian-led bat research at risk

2 weeks ago | thenarwhal.ca | Ainslie Cruickshank |Matt Simmons |Zak Vescera

Get the inside scoop on The Narwhal’s environment and climate reporting by signing up for our free newsletter. Researchers Cori Lausen and Maleen Mund step out of the warm spring sun and into a dimly lit workshop. The only light streams in through the doorway behind them and a few dusty windows. It’s been a cool start to the season in the Lower Mainland, but some bats have already emerged from their winter hibernation.
B.C. copper mine expansion won’t get environmental assessment

4 weeks ago | thenarwhal.ca | Ainslie Cruickshank |Zoë Yunker

Get the inside scoop on The Narwhal’s environment and climate reporting by signing up for our free newsletter. The Gibraltar mine was only expected to operate for 12 years when it opened more than five decades ago in south-central British Columbia. Today, it’s the second-largest open-pit copper mine in Canada — and Taseko, the company that owns it, is aiming to expand it yet again.
Alberta government threatens ‘national unity crisis’

1 month ago | thenarwhal.ca | Drew Anderson |Ainslie Cruickshank

Get the inside scoop on The Narwhal’s environment and climate reporting by signing up for our free newsletter. Alberta says it is taking extreme steps to protect itself from a hostile government that wants to trample on its economic and political security. It is also issuing ultimatums to the country’s leader and threatening dire consequences if those demands are not met. Naturally, we’re talking about the Canadian government. You didn’t think we were talking about the U.S., did you?
This tax loophole is funding mining exploration in Canada

1 month ago | thenarwhal.ca | Gabe Oatley |Ainslie Cruickshank

Get the inside scoop on The Narwhal’s environment and climate reporting by signing up for our free newsletter. This story is a collaboration between The Narwhal and Future of Good. Making a cheque out to the food bank. Putting coins in the Salvation Army’s bucket at Christmas. Sending money to the Red Cross. This is what many people in Canada think of when they think of donating to charity.
PRGT pipeline construction approval challenged in court

1 month ago | thenarwhal.ca | Matt Simmons |Ainslie Cruickshank

Get the inside scoop on The Narwhal’s environment and climate reporting by signing up for our free newsletter. A coalition of Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups is taking the BC Energy Regulator to court this week, claiming the regulator bent its own rules to green-light construction of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline.
B.C. fast-tracks critical minerals mining to counter tariffs

1 month ago | thenarwhal.ca | Zoë Yunker |Ainslie Cruickshank

Get the inside scoop on The Narwhal’s environment and climate reporting by signing up for our free newsletter. A short walk down the beach from the marble-gilded interior of the Trump Hollywood luxury condos in Florida, a throng of suited executives and investors gathered in late February for the annual Bank of Montreal mining and critical minerals conference. The vibe was buzzy.
How wealthy Canadians donate to charity — and also fund mining companies | The Narwhal

1 month ago | thenarwhal.ca | Gabe Oatley |Ainslie Cruickshank

This investigation is a collaboration between The Narwhal and Future of Good. Get the inside scoop on The Narwhal’s environment and climate reporting by signing up for our free newsletter. For nearly two decades, Canada’s mining exploration companies have had an unlikely ally in raising capital: Canadian charities. The link results from a tax strategy known as charity flow-through. It provides an incentive for wealthy donors to donate shares to a charity, instead of cash.
Feds refuse emergency order for endangered orcas

1 month ago | thenarwhal.ca | Ainslie Cruickshank |Michelle Cyca

Get the inside scoop on The Narwhal’s environment and climate reporting by signing up for our free newsletter. The federal government has refused to issue an emergency order to protect endangered southern resident orca whales, saying it will instead pursue “incremental measures” to help the ailing population off the south coast of British Columbia. Those could include establishing new limits on pollution from ships and increasing the distance boats must keep from the whales.
Unearthing Black history in Nova Scotia

1 month ago | thenarwhal.ca | Ainslie Cruickshank |Mel Woods |Shannon Waters |Denise Balkissoon

Look at your Google calendar, and it might no longer tell you it’s Black History Month. At a time when some of the most powerful world leaders, backed by tech broligarchs, are rewriting histories — and brazenly attacking diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — telling some of those erased stories feels even more pressing.