Emma McIntosh

Reporter Toronto English

Investigations, News, Business, Energy, Politics, Culture, Climate, politics, environment

About Emma McIntosh

Emma McIntosh has covered environment, energy and national news. She covered misinformation and disinformation in the 2019 federal election. She has reported for StarMetro Calgary, the Toronto Star and the Calgary Herald as well as Canada's National Observer. A former Seattle-ite and dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, Emma graduated from Ryerson University's undergraduate journalism program in 2018.

She has focused on investigative journalism since 2017. Emma also covered the Alberta provincial election in April 2019. Projects she's worked on have been shortlisted for multiple national awards, including a National Newspaper Award, the Canadian Hillman Prize and CJF Jackman Award for Excellence.

265 Articles

A wooded area next to the proposed route of the Bradford Bypass highway in East Gwillimbury, Ont., Sept. 22, 2021. Nick Kozak / Toronto Star

How Bradford Bypass became a pork barrel for Doug Ford's rich developer donors

A group of Ontario developers, many of them prolific political donors, collectively own nearly 3,000 acres of prime real estate near the proposed Bradford Bypass route and stand to benefit if the highway is built.

Meet the fossil fuel workers pushing for energy transition

“I had basically made a deal with myself saying, ‘If I get laid off from this job, I'm never working in oil and gas again,’” said Delia Warren, who spent a decade trying to break into the offshore wind industry.

Canada's Clean Economy

Oil and gas industry releases its election wish list

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says its platform, released Aug. 24, demonstrates the industry’s desire to transition to a lower-carbon economy. Environmentalists, however, say it promotes a business-as-usual approach to the climate crisis.

Election 2021

What you need to know about third-party groups in the 2021 election

Groups like the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Canada Proud, and environmental organizations ⁠that want to weigh in on the federal election must register with Elections Canada, as they did in 2019. Here’s a rundown of the role they play on the campaign trail.

Election 2021

Why wetlands matter in the fight against the climate crisis

Swamps, bogs, marshes and peatlands have long been misunderstood or overlooked. But they’re vital carbon sinks and play key roles in protecting us from the fallout of extreme events caused by climate change.

Do cottages belong in Ontario's Rondeau Provincial Park?

Private cottages on leased public land have been part of the southwestern Ontario park for over a century, despite environmentalists’ arguments that they’re harming its delicate ecosystem and the province’s plan to phase them out. Now, the Ford government is considering selling the land.

Ontario Greens unveil climate-infused housing plan

In an exclusive interview, party leader Mike Schreiner said the Ontario Greens would crack down on urban sprawl and take aggressive steps to address the housing crisis. It comes as the province’s unofficial campaign season gets rolling ahead of next year’s election.

Doug Ford dumps environment, natural resources ministers

Ford’s energy minister was also shuffled in a massive changeup. Ford also brought back Rod Phillips, a former finance and environment minister who previously resigned from caucus taking a tropical vacation amid COVID-19.

Ontario fights back against California boreal logging bill

The bill doesn’t single out Canada, but would require state contractors to ensure they only use boreal forest wood products that respect Indigenous rights and aren’t adding to forest destruction. Ontario, Alberta and Quebec and Canada’s Consulate General are arguing it unfairly targets industry north of the border.

Ford government pledges to protect land to compensate for MZOs

Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark said he wasn’t sure how many of the controversial land zoning orders the province plans to issue before the next election. "It's really just greenwash for the government's extraordinary misuse of MZOs to drive sprawl," said Phil Pothen of Environmental Defence.

Zoning out: Doug Ford's special land-use orders