Denise Balkissoon

Breaking down barriers to green burials in Ontario | The Narwhal An Ontario family’s struggle for a natural burial exemplifies the challenges faced by grieving families

Policy restrictions make it nearly impossible to hold a natural burial in some jurisdictions. Here’s the story of one grieving family in Ontario that spent years fighting for natural burial options — and won. thenarwhal.ca/green-burial...

How John Tory and Michael Ford have shaken up absolutely nothing in this nepo baby town/province/country/world

SCRIPT IS HIRING! Come work with me! We are looking for someone *fluently* bilingual (fr/eng) who is a social media pro and who is passionate about LGBTQ2S+ health. Please share! prohttps://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4381174904/

The secretive, foreign-owned LNG export project in Quebec, explained | The Narwhal The Baie-Comeau LNG project proposed for the shores of the St. Lawrence River could be Canada’s third largest liquefied natural gas export facility

A massive LNG project proposed in Quebec is quietly advancing. A Norwegian company wants to build one of Canada’s largest LNG export terminals in Baie-Comeau. Documents show Ottawa has assembled a federal “deal team” to help, @sarahkcox.bsky.social reports: thenarwhal.ca/lng-export-p...

We’re living in an age of impunity From small unfairness to gross injustices, we seem to have lost a sense of shame.

Does anyone else feel sick of it all? Wrote for the Star about Toronto Police, Open AI and everyone in power who deserves a public shaming. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Jamie Bradburn: 9 political scandals that shocked the world RICHARD NIXON

NEW! For the Toronto Star, to accompany @balkissoon.bsky.social's piece on "The Age of Impunity," I compiled a few scandalous political figures - some who paid for their deeds, some who didn't, and some who had to be forced out.

www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Wait I missed this, thank you for the goss ...

So did they do it?

Wealthy Dubai residents race back to UAE to avoid tax bills Some risk spending too few days in the emirate and too many in the UK

Tax exiles stuck in London desperately trying to get *back* to Dubai to avoid becoming tax resident in the UK? Just great stuff. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Alberta regulator rejects Canada’s largest data centre | The Narwhal Lack of public consultation means project that would have consumed as much power as Edmonton won’t go ahead — for now

The Alberta Utilities Commission has rejected a proposal for a massive rural data centre that would have consumed as much power as the city of Edmonton. It cited missing information and a lack of public consultation. thenarwhal.ca/olds-data-ce...

Thank you!

Thank you!

We’re living in an age of impunity From small unfairness to gross injustices, we seem to have lost a sense of shame.

Does anyone else feel sick of it all? Wrote for the Star about Toronto Police, Open AI and everyone in power who deserves a public shaming. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

100% but we could try not to make it worse

Another result of lining up behind Tory! Whom I need everyone to know I did not vote for!

We ended up with John Tory last time we were afraid of another Mayor Ford and it was, predictably, the same austerity, only polite.

For the love of Toronto, can we PLEASE have some REAL, imaginative challengers and a REAL election about issues and making this a decent place for people to live? 😭😭😭

Tory’s $100,000 Rogers post, the quiet undoing of ActiveTO — here’s some city hall items you may have missed Has the goalposts for what should be an issue or scandal shifted under COVID-19?

The Canadian establishment is fascinating.

Was it wrong for his critics to talk about Tory being on the Rogers payroll while he was mayor? Or was it tawdry to do so?

Not something the Canadian establishment would do?

ANALYSIS: Why John Tory wanted his old job back — and why he won’t seek it | TVO Today The former mayor is sitting out the upcoming election. Who will fill the void?

This is why journalists should not be friends with the people they cover. It‘s embarrassing for all concerned.

www.tvo.org/article/anal...

I'm so sorry, I hope everyone stays safe.

Absolutely nothing

The Andrew formerly known as Prince in a car

The Prince formerly known as Philip in a car in the same pose

A B.C. farmer bets on growing African foods | The Narwhal Canadian Black Farmers Association founder Toyin Kayo-Ajayi wants to build a sustainable economy for African foods in the Fraser Valley

Told he couldn’t grow tropical crops in B.C., Toyin Kayo-Ajayi did it anyway. Now he’s feeding community and building space for Black farmers to grow culturally meaningful food closer to home. thenarwhal.ca/bc-black-far...

Walking 1,300 km of Black history in Ontario | The Narwhal Ken Johnston walked from Niagara Falls to Owen Sound, following the boggy, buggy Underground Railroad path of early Black settlers in Ontario

New from me in @thenarwhal.ca! Moved by his ancestors, Ken Johnston retraced the Underground Railroad to Canada, logging more than 3,500 km on several freedom routes and highlighting incredible stories of success, perseverance and loss among Ontario’s early Black settlers:

Shawn Micallef: Toronto is facing its worst police corruption scandal in decades. Here are three things that need to happen soon The corruption revealed by Project South undermines the public trust that is the foundation of policing.

In the Toronto Star I write about Toronto Police's violent corruption scandal. Will it move the needle on police reform? It's a dramatic escalation in a long history of police intimidation, bullying their critics & broken trust. I argue 3 big things have to happen, including firing this chief.

Valentine’s Day quiz: discover your Canadian lovebird | The Narwhal Take our Valentine’s Day quiz to find the nest-mate of your dreams — and get a card to share

Happy Valentine's Day, lovebirds! projects.thenarwhal.ca/lovebirds-qu...

In the footsteps of Ontario’s early Black settlers Ken Johnston walked from Niagara Falls to Owen Sound, tracing the Underground Railroad forged by Harriet Tubman and Black freedom seekers

Moved by his ancestors, Ken Johnston walked 265 kilometres through southern Ontario, following the Underground Railroad path of early Black settlers.

@balkissoon.bsky.social tells the story behind the story in our latest newsletter:

thenarwhal.ca/newsletter-o...

ICE List: the small European website exposing US immigration agents Netherlands-based site uses public information and tips to reveal identities of agents involved in crackdowns across US

The site aims to create an atmosphere like 1920s Chicago in "when the public naming of Ku Klux Klan members led many of them to be ... shunned.

'That’s kind of what we’re trying to do here ... allow the public to know which of their neighbours are involved'.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

This kind of blatant hate is designed to scare women—particularly White women—into silence and submission. But fury is the better response here, because complicity is no protection from hate.

I can write the column for you, put me in coach

Boooooooo

WAIT where was Marcello Hernandez