{"id":365755,"date":"2025-12-24T10:27:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T10:27:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/365755\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T10:27:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T10:27:20","slug":"our-best-photos-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/365755\/","title":{"rendered":"Our best photos of the year"},"content":{"rendered":"

At The Narwhal, our goal is to tell stories, even ugly ones, beautifully. This year we sent photographers to capture the adaptation of provincial parks<\/a> and beaches<\/a>, the disappearing joy of playing pond hockey on a frozen lake<\/a>, the reality of old-growth logging<\/a>, the resilience of an Arctic community adjusting to climate change<\/a> and so much more. Here are our favourite photos of 2025.<\/p>\n

s\u00e1n\u0259sa\u0294\u0142 st\u00e1\u0294l\u0259w\u00a0(Alouette River) in q\u0313ic\u0313\u0259y\u0313 (Katzie) territory, B.C.<\/p>\n

\"ThePhoto: Isabella Falsetti \/ The Narwhal<\/p>\n

The s\u00e1n\u0259sa\u0294\u0142 st\u00e1\u0294l\u0259w\u00a0(Alouette River) flow has been reduced by 86 per cent due to the Alouette Dam<\/a>, operated by BC Hydro. q\u0313ic\u0313\u0259y\u0313 (Katzie) First Nation is calling on the energy utility to let more water through for the survival of salmon and their eggs. q\u0313ic\u0313\u0259y\u0313 citizens Rick Bailey and Mike Leon took photographer Isabella Falsetti and reporter Stephanie Kwet\u00e1sel\u2019wet Wood to the river to talk about its importance and the changes they would like to see, such as a fish ladder that would allow salmon to bypass the dam. Falsetti\u2019s moody photos capture the misty, lush depth of the forest and give a sense of the relationship Leon and Bailey have with the water.<\/p>\n

Wasaga Beach, Ont.<\/p>\n

\"TwoPhoto: Carlos Osorio \/ The Narwhal <\/p>\n

The popular tourist destination of Wasaga Beach, Ont., could change significantly<\/a> in coming years as a portion of it comes under the control of the municipality, which means losing provincial park status and all the protections that come with it. Ontario reporter Fatima Syed and photojournalist Carlos Osorio went to Wasaga to hear more about what was going on and capture the beauty of the beach.<\/p>\n

Vancouver, B.C. <\/p>\n

\"aPhoto: Jesse Winter \/ The Narwhal <\/p>\n

In the summer, biodiversity reporter Ainslie Cruickshank and photojournalist Jesse Winter dropped by the bustling\u00a0Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society for the morning feed<\/a>. The rescue responds to sea lions, sea otters, small cetaceans like dolphins and even sea turtles in distress, but it\u2019s mostly harbour seals that wind up here. By mid-August, nearing the end of pupping season, the rescue had more than 60 seals in its care. Pups are tube fed when they first arrive, but after a few weeks they\u2019re hand-fed frozen herring, until they can confidently eat on their own. Eventually, they\u2019re released back into the wild.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Toronto, Ont.<\/p>\n

\"PersonPhoto: Sid Naidu \/ The Narwhal<\/p>\n

The year saw several governments \u2014 both provincial and federal \u2014 pass sweeping laws to speed development, arguably at the expense of consultation with Indigenous communities. One of those was Ontario\u2019s Bill 5<\/a>, which saw swift public response and demonstrations from First Nations<\/a> leaders and communities at Queen\u2019s Park. Photographer Sid Naidu captioned the action outside the buildings, as well as the tense discussions inside: one rally saw drummers and dancers form a drumming circle inside the legislative building as hearings over the bill were underway. <\/p>\n

Walbran Valley, B.C. <\/p>\n

\"PeoplePhoto: Mike Graeme \/ The Narwhal <\/p>\n

In September, B.C. politics reporter Shannon Waters and photojournalist Mike Graeme travelled to the Walbran Valley on Vancouver Island. There, amid hills patched with clearcuts dating back decades, a group of people had set up camp on a logging road in an effort to prevent<\/a> logging. Later that week, a B.C. Supreme Court judge granted an injunction to Tsawak-qin Forestry Limited Partnership, a joint partnership between the Huu-ay-aht First Nations and Western Forest Products that set the stage for the RCMP to remove people from the area. In late November, people were removed and arrests were made.<\/p>\n

Warburg\u00a0, Alta.<\/p>\n

\"AnPhoto: Isabella Falsetti \/ The Narwhal <\/p>\n

Eighty-four-year old Karl Zajes took Prairies reporter Drew Anderson and photojournalist Isabella Falsetti to meet other rural Alberta landowners, as well giving them a tour of the oil and gas wells on his land<\/a>. Karl bumped along in his pickup truck, Drew trying to keep up behind. Speaking to people personally affected by the issues we report on is often tricky, but that was particularly true for this story, as Karl doesn\u2019t have the internet. Drew would have never met him \u2014 or been able to report the story so deeply \u2014 had it not been for his tenacity in seeking out sources. When the story was published, Drew sent it to the local print shop so Karl could go pick it up. The photos were so good he sprung for colour printing.<\/p>\n

Pipi7\u00edyekw (Joffre Lakes Park), B.C.<\/p>\n

\"APhoto: Paige Taylor White \/ The Narwhal <\/p>\n

Photographer Paige Taylor White made four visits to L\u00edl\u0313wat territory to report on Pipi7\u00edyekw, also known Joffre Lakes Park. It\u2019s Instagram-famous and very busy, and so the province, L\u00edl\u0313wat and N\u2019Quatqua have led temporary closures, bringing floods of misinformation that often racially target the First Nations. White and reporter Stephanie Kwet\u00e1sel\u2019wet Wood sought to understand the goal of the closures, rather than focus on the hateful backlash. The nations granted them access to capture intimate moments of connection<\/a> between community members and the land, with many seeing the lakes for the first time. The photo essay also delves into how rest keeps the park healthy, and what care all people owe to natural spaces that bring them enjoyment. <\/p>\n

Cambridge Bay, Nvt.<\/p>\n

\"APhoto: Gavin John \/ The Narwhal <\/p>\n

In May 2025, photojournalist Gavin John accompanied freelance reporter Chloe Williams to Cambridge Bay, Nvt., to report on disappearing sea ice and its impacts on Inuit communities<\/a>, as well as an ambitious scientific idea to thicken it. As the Arctic warms three times faster than the rest of the world, residents in the North are seeing climate change happen before their eyes. In photos and videos, John documented an 1,800-person community on the frontlines of climate change, as residents worry about what the thinning ice means<\/a> for travel, culture and food security. In this photo, C\u00edan Sherwin walks on water pumped onto the sea ice outside of Cambridge Bay.<\/p>\n

Thunder Bay, Ont.<\/p>\n

\"GeesePhoto: David Jackson \/ The Narwhal<\/p>\n

Canada geese fly above Thunder Bay\u2019s shoreline on Lake Superior. Reporter Fatima Syed and photographer David Jackson visited the site of a massive remediation project<\/a> to restore the state of the shoreline, even as industry continues to use it. The remediation project seeks to reverse some of the damage done by industry, including mining and forestry.<\/p>\n

Delta, B.C. <\/p>\n

\"APhoto: Isabelle Groc \/ The Narwhal<\/p>\n

A proposed expansion at Canada\u2019s busiest port could be fast-tracked by the federal government. The impact could be felt by many species<\/a>, including the tiny but mighty western sandpiper, whose food is uniquely plentiful in the Fraser estuary of Metro Vancouver, B.C.\u00a0Microscopic organisms make up the superfood \u2014 called biofilm \u2014 which fuels the round, fluffy shorebird, including on its epic journey between Peru and Alaska. But Roberts Bank Terminal 2 is set to double the size of Canada\u2019s biggest container terminal, to bring in large cargo ships and even more imports. It\u2019s a development scientists conclude will weaken the estuary\u2019s ability to be a wildlife refuge. Photographer Isabelle Groc captured the little bird and came to The Narwhal with her beautiful photos. <\/p>\n

Minnedosa Lake, Man.<\/p>\n

Photojournalist Tim Smith and Manitoba reporter Julia-Simone Rutgers bundled in February to report on the annual Skate the Lake pond hockey tournament on Minnedosa Lake in southwestern Manitoba. The assignment was to document a classic winter pursuit <\/a>\u2014 and talk players, families and fans about if and how climate change was impacting it. This year, the weather was extremely cold, -35 C to be exact. It meant the ice was nice and solid, but people still had things to say about the challenges as weather becomes more unpredictable across the Prairies. These photos capture the joy of toughing it out in Canadian winters.<\/p>\n

Elk Valley, B.C. <\/p>\n

\"TwoPhoto: Leah Hennel \/ The Narwhal<\/p>\n

Each year, scores of wild animals are hit by trains, but poor tracking makes it challenging to know exactly how many deer, moose, elk or bears are killed in B.C. each year. In the spring, biodiversity reporter Ainslie Cruickshank and photojournalist Leah Hennel traveled to the Elk Valley in southeastern B.C. to work on a\u00a0story about the railway\u2019s toll<\/a>. Leah captured this portrait of two deer near the railway tracks in the waning evening light in Sparwood, B.C.<\/p>\n

Fort St. John, B.C.<\/p>\n

\"IllustrationIllustration: Nora Kelly \/ The Narwhal <\/p>\n

Sometimes, we aren\u2019t able to take photos to accompany a story, especially when it\u2019s an investigation companies and governments might prefer we didn\u2019t publish. That was the case when The Narwhal obtained B.C. Energy Regulator inspection notes through freedom of information legislation, which included\u00a0vivid descriptions<\/a>\u00a0of problems at oil and gas facilities. Nora Kelly\u2019s compelling illustration captured details found in the records about how wildlife were accessing dormant, active and polluting sites in B.C.\u2019s northeast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At The Narwhal, our goal is to tell stories, even ugly ones, beautifully. This year we sent photographers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365756,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,356,75],"class_list":["post-365755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365755\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}