Michelle Cyca
Verified- Writer and Editor, Freelance
- Indigenous-Led Conservation Editor, The Narwhal
- Contributing Writer, The Walrus Magazine
Vancouver
✌️not here anymore!
Articles by Michelle Cyca
Canada plans to destroy thousands of residential school testimonies
2 days ago Toronto-based Métis artist Jason Baerg has studied in the United States, taught in the United States and sold artwork in the United States. Until President Donald Trump imposed 50-per-cent tariffs last month on made-in-Canada art crossing into the United States, modern-day borders had rarely been a …
Canada plans to destroy thousands of residential school testimonies. These women are trying to save them
Having promised confidentiality to residential school survivors, the federal government plans to destroy 38,000 testimonies next year Survivors can opt not to have their stories destroyed, but few have responded to indicate a preference, casting doubts on the efforts to contact them Journalist Connie Walker and lawyer Kimberly Murray say the records contain crucial information about abusers’ identities, unmarked burial sites and Indigenous People’s history on the land “This body of records...
Get Your Squishmallows Out of My Kid’s Scholastic Book Catalogue
Ask a millennial about their childhood book fairs and watch their eyes mist over with tender nostalgia. I’m no different. Unlike candy or television, books were something my parents encouraged me to devour in unlimited quantities, and I can still recall the frenzied thrill of my school’s annual Scholastic book fair. The order form elicited a buzz of permissible, wholesome consumerism, and I loved the freedom of pencilling in my choices after careful deliberation: Animorphs, Scott O’Dell novels, R.
Hiking this weekend? Avoid Google Maps, even Google says so
Seneca Nation 3 hours ago Trump’s Lake Ontario name change clashes with a centuries-old treaty. Google Maps is on the hook, too Fast Company - BY Jude Cramer • 3h The president of the Seneca Nation is arguing that the ‘Lake America’ renaming is more than merely controversial.
Hiking this Labour Day weekend? Don’t trust Google Maps
In July, Lions Bay Search and Rescue responded to a call for help from hikers who had planned their hike of the Howe Sound Crest Trail using Google Maps. The 18-kilometre route they chose was Cypress Mountain to the West Lion peak, then descending to Lions Bay. According to Lions Bay Search and Rescue, the route has “well over 1,300 metres of elevation gain, sustained alpine terrain, route finding, scrambling sections, loose rock and countless ups and downs.” Translation: it’s a big day out.
Why Is Anti-Indigenous Racism on the Rise?
Over the August long weekend in Alberta, a banner appeared on a fence northwest of Edmonton, proclaiming “The Indians have done nothing in 100 years and now they wanna tell us how to run Alberta.” No one was sure who put it up—a local separatist group contacted by APTN denied responsibility—or which “Indians” were supposedly giving the province unwanted advice. But the sentiment was clear, and emblematic of current attitudes toward Indigenous people across this country.
Wildfire misinformation is mutating online, thanks to AI slop
Posted 8/12/26 The Narwhal reports that Ontario faces severe wildfires in 2026, leading to rampant misinformation online, fueled by AI-generated content and conspiracy theories. This item is available in full to subscribers. E-mail Password Print and web subscribers If you're a print and web subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one. Non-subscribers Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber.
Wildfire misinformation is mutating online, thanks to AI slop
Ontario is grappling with one of the worst wildfire seasons in recorded history, which has put thousands of people, especially those in the province’s north, at risk. Last month, two Indigenous communities — Namaygoosisagagun First Nation and Whitewater Lake First Nation — were burned to the ground. The scale of the crisis has made headlines around the world and prompted a blaze of posts on social media.
Wildfire misinformation is mutating online, thanks to AI slop
Ontario is grappling with one of the worst wildfire seasons in recorded history, which has put thousands of people, especially those in the province's north, at risk. Last month, two Indigenous communities - Namaygoosisagagun First Nation and Whitewater Lake First Nation - were burned to the ground . The scale of the crisis has made headlines around the world and prompted a blaze of posts on social media.
Wildfire misinformation is mutating online, thanks to AI slop
Ontario is grappling with one of the worst wildfire seasons in recorded history, which has put thousands of people, especially those in the province’s north, at risk. Last month, two Indigenous communities — Namaygoosisagagun First Nation and Whitewater Lake First Nation — were burned to the ground. The scale of the crisis has made headlines around the world and prompted a blaze of posts on social media.
Canadian wildfire misinformation is mutating online, thanks to AI slop
The 2026 wildfire season in Canada, which has been particularly severe in Ontario, has prompted significant interest on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Many of these posts contain misinformation, including AI-generated maps with incorrect details on the locations or severity of fires across Canada, or conspiracy theories linking wildfires to lasers, 15-minute city initiatives or eco-terrorism.
Inside the strange, fragile world of keeping exotic cats as pets
5 hours ago The Valencia disaster exposed a deadly gap: two governments, zero lifesaving stations, and a stretch of coast so treacherous it earned the name “Graveyard of the Pacific.” Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: The sinking of SS Valencia shocked Canada and the United States into enacting …
Inside the strange, fragile world of keeping exotic cats as pets
On an hour-long drive from Vancouver to the heart of B.C.’s Fraser Valley, I contemplate the most professional way to ask if I can pet this cat I’m about to meet. There’s journalistic value to being able to describe its fur, I imagine arguing, as I drive past bucolic fields and cheerless industrial parks. In the end, I don’t need to ask at all. “Do you want to feed him?” Mike Hopcraft says, holding out a dish of raw chunks of beef and a pair of long metal tweezers, as the cat glowers beside me.
Baby, it’s (too) hot outside
You hear that? It’s the faint roar of Narwhals celebrating a fresh crop of awards from the top national journalism organizations. Yesterday evening, the Canadian Journalism Foundation honoured The Narwhal with its prestigious award for climate solutions reporting. Last year, reporter Chloe Williams and photographer Gavin John spent five days in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, to document an effort to save disappearing sea ice and a way of life that depends on it.
Vancouver’s first summer heat wave is here — and we’re not ready
Temperatures in Vancouver could climb as high as 29 C this weekend, the first heat wave of the year. Water restrictions are in effect, only three of the city’s five outdoor pools are open and outdoor water sampling at many popular beaches has been suspended due to strikes. This summer is projected to be one of the hottest on record, raising questions about the readiness of Vancouver to protect its citizens from extreme heat.
Vancouver’s first summer heat wave is here — and we’re not ready
10 hours ago Al Jazeera’s teams, groups, key dates and kickoff times list for World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico and the United States. You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated World Cup 2026 page with all the latest news, match build-up and live text commentary, and keep up to date with group …
The political battle over B.C. parks is back in season
In early May, BC Parks announced Pipi7íyekw/Joffre Lakes Park will be restricted to members of the Líl̓wat and N’Quatqua nations from June 20-27 and Sept. 8-30. Líl̓wat Nation has since released its own statement with different closure dates, saying the trust with the province has been broken. Since 2018, the two First Nations have been working with BC Parks on visitor management and the temporary closures — called reconnection periods — have been implemented since 2023.
The New York Times Got Caught Using AI Hallucinations in Its Reporting
Last month, the New York Times published an article about Prime Minister Mark Carney securing a majority government. In the article, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre is quoted denouncing the members of his party who had crossed the floor to join Carney’s Liberals. “If these turncoats have any shred of integrity left, they should resign their seats tonight and run in a by-election tomorrow,” the paper reported Poilievre saying in a speech in March.
Michelle Cyca | The Walrus
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Birds, and the people who love them
Maybe you can tell from our stories (or our Lovebirds of Canada quiz), but The Narwhal is staffed by a lot of bird enthusiasts. We love birds — vengeful crows, tiny sandpipers, unfairly maligned Canada geese — and we love stories about them. So when Paula Razuri, a writer and photographer based in Toronto, pitched a photo essay about the scientific effort to track birds by accessorizing them with cute little anklets, she set us all atwitter.
SpaceX satellites half the size of pickup trucks are falling from the sky
Posted 4/29/26 The Narwhal reports thousands of SpaceX Starlink satellites are creating space junk, raising environmental risks and concerns over satellite collisions. This item is available in full to subscribers. E-mail Password Print and web subscribers If you're a print and web subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one. Non-subscribers Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber.
SpaceX satellites half the size of pickup trucks are falling from the sky
SpaceX satellites half the size of pickup trucks are falling from the sky Billions of people watched in awe as the Artemis II mission took an astronaut crew that included Canadian Jeremy Hansen around the moon and back. It was an awe-inspiring moment for space exploration - but not all the news from space is good for Earth. There are thousands of satellites in low orbit, which means 2,000 kilometers or less above the Earth.
SpaceX satellites half the size of pickup trucks are falling from the sky
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SpaceX satellites half the size of pickup trucks are falling from the sky
Billions of people watched in awe as the Artemis II mission took an astronaut crew that included Canadian Jeremy Hansen around the moon and back. It was an awe-inspiring moment for space exploration — but not all the news from space is good for Earth. There are thousands of satellites in low orbit, which means 2,000 kilometers or less above the Earth.
SpaceX satellites half the size of pickup trucks are falling from the sky
Billions of people watched in awe as the Artemis II mission took an astronaut crew that included Canadian Jeremy Hansen around the moon and back. It was an awe-inspiring moment for space exploration — but not all the news from space is good for Earth. There are thousands of satellites in low orbit, which means 2,000 kilometers or less above the Earth.
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