Denise Balkissoon

Toronto

Executive Editor at The Narwhal

Executive editor, @thenarwhalca | 20+ yrs on the verge of quitting Canadian journalism | https://t.co/Gd8kEmT9oy

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Articles

The Hockey Canada Sexual Assault Trial Lays Bare the Battle for Men’s Humanity

1 week ago | thekit.ca | Denise Balkissoon

Content warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual assault. The woman alleging sexual assault by a group of junior hockey players says she’s unsure if all of the men in the room were involved.
Senator Paula Simons saw ‘wild eagle sex in the sky’

1 week ago | thenarwhal.ca | Denise Balkissoon

Paula Simons has always had a lot to say — and the guts to say it. For 20 years, she racked up awards for her work at the Edmonton Journal, where she explored Indigenous Rights, same-sex marriage and mental health care before many would broach the topics publicly. After being appointed as a senator in 2018, she’s stayed just as opinionated. While those opinions are strong, they’re also complex and open to change.
The Narwhal’s TC Energy investigation makes Jackman Award shortlist

1 month ago | thenarwhal.ca | Denise Balkissoon

We’re excited to share that an investigation by The Narwhal is a finalist for the Canadian Journalism Foundation’s Jackman Award for excellence in journalism. The nominated series revealed the inner workings of fossil fuel company TC Energy and was written by northwest B.C. reporter Matt Simmons, former director of investigations and enterprise Mike De Souza and Ontario reporter Fatima Syed.
Shad says nature is ‘a spiritual need’

1 month ago | thenarwhal.ca | Denise Balkissoon

Here at The Narwhal, we don’t use profit, awards or pageviews to measure success. The thing that matters most is real-world impact — evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better. And in 2024, our stories were raised in parliaments across the country and cited by citizens in their petitions and letters to politicians.
‘I’m fiercely pro-fur’: Vogue’s Christian Allaire

2 months ago | thenarwhal.ca | Denise Balkissoon |Drew Anderson |Fatima Syed

Growing up, Christian Allaire loved spending summers with his cousins in his grandma’s backyard, near their home community of Nipissing First Nation. He also loved watching Drag Race with those same cousins, even after they voted against the strapless garbage bag minidress he made for a RuPaul-inspired home fashion contest.
Raccoons saved Scaachi Koul’s dumb cat

Mar 7, 2025 | thenarwhal.ca | Denise Balkissoon |Matt Simmons |Kate Schneider

Get the inside scoop on The Narwhal’s environment and climate reporting by signing up for our free newsletter. “I promise you will laugh at least once per chapter,” Scaachi Koul says about her latest memoir, Suckerpunch. It’s a big promise, given that the book recaps three wretched years in which she got divorced, lost her job and learned her mother had cancer, all while coping with the pandemic. That said, Koul has a special ability to find a sliver of bright hilarity in the darkest cave.
Unearthing Black history in Nova Scotia

Feb 28, 2025 | 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.
This pro hockey goalie is a science nerd

Feb 21, 2025 | thenarwhal.ca | Drew Anderson |Denise Balkissoon

“If I wasn’t playing hockey, I think I’d be doing research for National Geographic,” Raygan Kirk says. The Toronto Sceptres goaltender owes her love of nature to yard-work, after a neighbour in her hometown of Ste. Anne, Man., enlisted her help. It sprouted a fascination with growing things that carried all the way through a degree in environmental science.
There’s something in the air

Feb 7, 2025 | thenarwhal.ca | Carl Meyer |Shannon Waters |Drew Anderson |Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood |Denise Balkissoon

We lied: of course we’re addressing the elephant in the room. It’s no secret everyone’s feeling a strange-yet-justified sense of patriotism — reluctantly, or not — given the whiplash-inducing news about tariffs. As Denise wrote, some have probably landed on the maple syrup of it all: buy Canadian products. And that’s a reasonable response; I, personally, am looking for Canadian alternatives to my beloved vegan chicken tenders (they’re packed with protein, please hit me up with suggestions!).
Nature tames anxiety for author David A. Robertson

Feb 7, 2025 | thenarwhal.ca | Denise Balkissoon

Here at The Narwhal, we don’t use profit, awards or pageviews to measure success. The thing that matters most is real-world impact — evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better. And in 2024, our stories were raised in parliaments across the country and cited by citizens in their petitions and letters to politicians.