Denise Balkissoon
@balkissoon.bsky.social
Executive editor @thenarwhal.ca. Still hate gum. The lakes, they are Great.
(Illo by Andrea Bell, from The Leak, a kid's graphic novel about a girl that does environmental journalism!)
(Illo by Andrea Bell, from The Leak, a kid's graphic novel about a girl that does environmental journalism!)
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
Canada is "20 years behind" on flood planning, experts say, and maps meant to show at-risk areas are severely outdated. That poses harm to people and property, but plans to update flood maps often anger homeowners, who worry about insurance costs and property values. thenarwhal.ca/outdated-flo...
Are Canadians more afraid of floods — or flood maps? | The Narwhal
Canada’s outdated flood maps put people at risk. In Montreal, a battle over updating them highlights a nationwide worry over home values and insurance costs
thenarwhal.ca
January 6, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Canada is "20 years behind" on flood planning, experts say, and maps meant to show at-risk areas are severely outdated. That poses harm to people and property, but plans to update flood maps often anger homeowners, who worry about insurance costs and property values. thenarwhal.ca/outdated-flo...
Right after I joined @thenarwhal.ca in 2021, photojournalist Amber Bracken was on assignment documenting tensions over the Coastal GasLink pipeline in B.C. The RCMP arrested her and we decided to fight for press freedom in court. The trial starts, finally, next week. thenarwhal.ca/press-freedom/
The Narwhal’s press freedom case against the RCMP, explained
Stay informed about The Narwhal and Amber Bracken’s lawsuit against the RCMP as we fight for press freedom in B.C. Supreme Court
thenarwhal.ca
January 6, 2026 at 2:39 AM
Right after I joined @thenarwhal.ca in 2021, photojournalist Amber Bracken was on assignment documenting tensions over the Coastal GasLink pipeline in B.C. The RCMP arrested her and we decided to fight for press freedom in court. The trial starts, finally, next week. thenarwhal.ca/press-freedom/
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
30 years ago they were like we have to ban song lyrics for the children but it’s full steam ahead for the here’s how to do drugs until you die machine
“ChatGPT started coaching Sam on how to take drugs, recover from them and plan further binges. It gave him specific doses of illegal substances, and in one chat, it wrote, ‘Hell yes—let’s go full trippy mode’”
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...
A Calif. teen trusted ChatGPT for drug advice. He died from an overdose.
"Who on earth gives that advice?"
www.sfgate.com
January 5, 2026 at 11:30 PM
30 years ago they were like we have to ban song lyrics for the children but it’s full steam ahead for the here’s how to do drugs until you die machine
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
The Narwhal is suing the RCMP to protect press freedom for all Canadians, and our case will be heard in a Vancouver courtroom beginning next week. We’re counting on your support as the case unfolds, so here’s what you need to know. 🧵
January 5, 2026 at 5:20 PM
The Narwhal is suing the RCMP to protect press freedom for all Canadians, and our case will be heard in a Vancouver courtroom beginning next week. We’re counting on your support as the case unfolds, so here’s what you need to know. 🧵
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
Worth noting that even as Trump bombs Venezuela to unilaterally seize Maduro on domestic US charges, the ICC judges who voted to investigate US war crimes in Afghanistan face such severe US banking sanctions that they are for all intents and purposes excluded from modern life.
‘It’s surreal’: US sanctions lock International Criminal Court judge out of daily life
Canadian judge Kimberly Prost is unable to use credit cards, transfer money or book everyday services in what she calls an attack on the independence of the judiciary
www.irishtimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Worth noting that even as Trump bombs Venezuela to unilaterally seize Maduro on domestic US charges, the ICC judges who voted to investigate US war crimes in Afghanistan face such severe US banking sanctions that they are for all intents and purposes excluded from modern life.
About ~6 mos ago, @supriya.bsky.social's said to me that ceding ground in an (information) war is stupid.
In Canada, Facebook's ban on real news has supercharged misinfo. I'm not 100% sure abandoning a place millions get information is the right move. But I'm def not 100% sure about staying.
In Canada, Facebook's ban on real news has supercharged misinfo. I'm not 100% sure abandoning a place millions get information is the right move. But I'm def not 100% sure about staying.
There is, to my mind, no justification for the continued use by the UK Government of X as a platform for official comms. There hasn't been for some time, in fact, but if the latest developments around AI-generated image abuse and CSAM don't change the policy I really don't know what will.
NEW: People are using Elon Musk's chatbot, Grok, to alter images to depict real women being sexually abused, humiliated, hurt, and even killed.
futurism.com/future-socie...
futurism.com/future-socie...
January 3, 2026 at 12:18 AM
About ~6 mos ago, @supriya.bsky.social's said to me that ceding ground in an (information) war is stupid.
In Canada, Facebook's ban on real news has supercharged misinfo. I'm not 100% sure abandoning a place millions get information is the right move. But I'm def not 100% sure about staying.
In Canada, Facebook's ban on real news has supercharged misinfo. I'm not 100% sure abandoning a place millions get information is the right move. But I'm def not 100% sure about staying.
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
This is a thread of major media outlets falsely anthropomorphising the "Grok" chatbot program and in doing so, actively and directly removing responsibility and accountability from individual people working at X who created a child pornography generator (Elon Musk, Nikita Bier etc)
#1: Reuters
#1: Reuters
January 2, 2026 at 8:02 PM
This is a thread of major media outlets falsely anthropomorphising the "Grok" chatbot program and in doing so, actively and directly removing responsibility and accountability from individual people working at X who created a child pornography generator (Elon Musk, Nikita Bier etc)
#1: Reuters
#1: Reuters
Not surprised Europe is first. Hoping Canada will follow: French authorities will investigate the proliferation of sexually explicit deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence platform Grok on X, the Paris prosecutor's office told Politico. www.politico.eu/article/fran...
France to investigate deepfakes of women stripped naked by Grok
Hundreds of women and teenagers have reported their photos published on social media have been “undressed” by Grok.
www.politico.eu
January 2, 2026 at 8:50 PM
Not surprised Europe is first. Hoping Canada will follow: French authorities will investigate the proliferation of sexually explicit deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence platform Grok on X, the Paris prosecutor's office told Politico. www.politico.eu/article/fran...
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
Next week, Ontario’s public service heads back to the office five days a week. Can transit and traffic across the Greater Toronto Area contend with potentially tens of thousands more commuters? thenarwhal.ca/ontario-publ...
Ontario’s public service is back in office: bad news for the air | The Narwhal
Doug Ford is bringing bureaucrats back to the office, but can transit and highways in the Greater Toronto Area contend with more commuters?
thenarwhal.ca
January 2, 2026 at 1:50 PM
Next week, Ontario’s public service heads back to the office five days a week. Can transit and traffic across the Greater Toronto Area contend with potentially tens of thousands more commuters? thenarwhal.ca/ontario-publ...
Did anyone else's kid tell them 6-7 is over because of the Great Meme Reset at midnight last night? Does anyone else think whoever came up with the idea of the Great Meme Reset is a genius that deserves our eternal devotion and gratitude?
January 1, 2026 at 9:21 PM
Did anyone else's kid tell them 6-7 is over because of the Great Meme Reset at midnight last night? Does anyone else think whoever came up with the idea of the Great Meme Reset is a genius that deserves our eternal devotion and gratitude?
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
You know what actually makes women happy? Bank accounts. Voting rights. The ability to leave a bad marriage, and not have a miscarriage kill us.
Participating in these "debates" is agreeing that our rights are not important.
Participating in these "debates" is agreeing that our rights are not important.
Debating Away Our Humanity
CBS News wants to know if "feminism failed women." Here's what they're really asking.
jessica.substack.com
December 30, 2025 at 10:39 PM
You know what actually makes women happy? Bank accounts. Voting rights. The ability to leave a bad marriage, and not have a miscarriage kill us.
Participating in these "debates" is agreeing that our rights are not important.
Participating in these "debates" is agreeing that our rights are not important.
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
It feels like ages ago at this point, but I also loved working with @balkissoon.bsky.social cial and @thenarwhal.ca hal.ca on this story about gender and the natural world at the start of the year.
thenarwhal.ca/clownfish-se...
thenarwhal.ca/clownfish-se...
Clownfish school us on the ‘biological facts’ of sex, gender and being trans | The Narwhal
From clownfish to cardinals, sex in the natural world is malleable. But being ‘transgender’ requires human intellect, autonomy and personal choice
thenarwhal.ca
December 30, 2025 at 5:44 PM
It feels like ages ago at this point, but I also loved working with @balkissoon.bsky.social cial and @thenarwhal.ca hal.ca on this story about gender and the natural world at the start of the year.
thenarwhal.ca/clownfish-se...
thenarwhal.ca/clownfish-se...
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
The Narwhal’s reporting about the natural world in Canada turned a lot of heads this year. Here are the stories you read the most, from every corner of the country:
thenarwhal.ca/10-top-stori...
thenarwhal.ca/10-top-stori...
10 top stories from 2025 | The Narwhal
The Narwhal’s reporting about the natural world in Canada turned a lot of heads this year. Here are the ones you read the most, from every corner of the country
thenarwhal.ca
December 24, 2025 at 1:36 PM
The Narwhal’s reporting about the natural world in Canada turned a lot of heads this year. Here are the stories you read the most, from every corner of the country:
thenarwhal.ca/10-top-stori...
thenarwhal.ca/10-top-stori...
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
We know you know it: quality journalism costs money. That’s why we’re always posting these appeals for your support — it’s not for fun! (For fun, we watch Heated Rivalry.)
But how far does your dollar actually go toward funding our work? We crunched the numbers:
But how far does your dollar actually go toward funding our work? We crunched the numbers:
December 26, 2025 at 4:30 PM
We know you know it: quality journalism costs money. That’s why we’re always posting these appeals for your support — it’s not for fun! (For fun, we watch Heated Rivalry.)
But how far does your dollar actually go toward funding our work? We crunched the numbers:
But how far does your dollar actually go toward funding our work? We crunched the numbers:
This has also happened to us @thenarwhal.ca! If we didn't ask the people/institutions we're covering to respond, that would not be fair. Revealing any unwillingness to be accountable also has value. This framing is not just bad faith, it's knowingly misrepresenting the public interest work we do.
December 30, 2025 at 2:13 AM
This has also happened to us @thenarwhal.ca! If we didn't ask the people/institutions we're covering to respond, that would not be fair. Revealing any unwillingness to be accountable also has value. This framing is not just bad faith, it's knowingly misrepresenting the public interest work we do.
Did anyone else's Gcal set every single person's birthday as Jan. 1?
December 25, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Did anyone else's Gcal set every single person's birthday as Jan. 1?
Having read the full Atlantic column I'd also like to 🙄🙄🙄 "a 41-year-old upstart richer and more successful than they are"
#1, upstarts age out at 39.5 years old, that's science
#2, "richer" is still not and will simply never be a synonym for "successful" at an actual profession
#1, upstarts age out at 39.5 years old, that's science
#2, "richer" is still not and will simply never be a synonym for "successful" at an actual profession
December 24, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Having read the full Atlantic column I'd also like to 🙄🙄🙄 "a 41-year-old upstart richer and more successful than they are"
#1, upstarts age out at 39.5 years old, that's science
#2, "richer" is still not and will simply never be a synonym for "successful" at an actual profession
#1, upstarts age out at 39.5 years old, that's science
#2, "richer" is still not and will simply never be a synonym for "successful" at an actual profession
I assure you, America looks both silly and treacherous without any effort on our part
December 24, 2025 at 12:16 AM
I assure you, America looks both silly and treacherous without any effort on our part
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
FBI sought interview with former prince Andrew during Peter Nygard investigation
FBI sought interview with former prince Andrew during Peter Nygard investigation
The revelation comes in the latest batch of documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice related to Jeffrey Epstein.
www.thestar.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:39 PM
FBI sought interview with former prince Andrew during Peter Nygard investigation
Submissions are open for the Landsberg Award, which recognizes journalism focused on gender equality and justice in Canada. The Canadian Journalism Foundation hasn't yet asked me for this year 🤓 but I've judged since 2020, so if you have questions, please ask. Then apply! cjf-fjc.ca/the-landsber...
The Landsberg Award – Canadian Journalism Foundation
cjf-fjc.ca
December 23, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Submissions are open for the Landsberg Award, which recognizes journalism focused on gender equality and justice in Canada. The Canadian Journalism Foundation hasn't yet asked me for this year 🤓 but I've judged since 2020, so if you have questions, please ask. Then apply! cjf-fjc.ca/the-landsber...
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
All of these links went to promotion of this story earlier today. All these links are dead now — that's how thoroughly they've scrubbed this.
December 21, 2025 at 10:57 PM
All of these links went to promotion of this story earlier today. All these links are dead now — that's how thoroughly they've scrubbed this.
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
When the police call for police to be taken off mental health calls - as police chiefs have done in Toronto, Victoria and elsewhere - we should listen, ask who responds instead, and where the money comes from to pay for that service. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Police officers shouldn’t be leading mental health calls, Toronto police chief says | CBC News
For years, police have been on the front lines of mental health crisis calls in Toronto, but the city's police chief believes it's now time to rethink that approach.
www.cbc.ca
December 21, 2025 at 3:12 PM
When the police call for police to be taken off mental health calls - as police chiefs have done in Toronto, Victoria and elsewhere - we should listen, ask who responds instead, and where the money comes from to pay for that service. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Reposted by Denise Balkissoon
How do we know our journalism makes a difference? Because we pay attention to how it influences governments, empowers people to hold power to account and otherwise ripples into the world.
Check out a few highlights from another year of impactful reporting:
thenarwhal.ca/our-impact-i...
Check out a few highlights from another year of impactful reporting:
thenarwhal.ca/our-impact-i...
How The Narwhal’s journalism made an impact in 2025
The Narwhal’s status as an independent non-profit means we put people over profit — and pay attention to the impact our journalism makes in the real world
thenarwhal.ca
December 18, 2025 at 1:40 AM
How do we know our journalism makes a difference? Because we pay attention to how it influences governments, empowers people to hold power to account and otherwise ripples into the world.
Check out a few highlights from another year of impactful reporting:
thenarwhal.ca/our-impact-i...
Check out a few highlights from another year of impactful reporting:
thenarwhal.ca/our-impact-i...
Which province mandates that cities and towns allow a fossil fuel company to build pipelines on public land for free?
Ontario! Incredible!
Ontario! Incredible!
Waterloo Region and Guelph are holding out on renewing contracts that allow Enbridge Gas to build pipelines on public land for free. Toronto and Ottawa are also pushing back, and more Ontario municipalities could follow: thenarwhal.ca/ontario-enbr...
Ontario municipalities want Enbridge Gas to pay up | The Narwhal
Guelph, Waterloo Region and other Ontario municipalities argue the gas giant shouldn’t be able to build pipelines on public land for free
thenarwhal.ca
December 17, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Which province mandates that cities and towns allow a fossil fuel company to build pipelines on public land for free?
Ontario! Incredible!
Ontario! Incredible!