Luke Ottenhof

About Luke Ottenhof

Luke Ottenhof is a freelance reporter based in Toronto and Kingston, Ontario. His stories have appeared in The Guardian, Columbia Journalism Review, The Toronto Star, CBC, Pitchfork and The Globe and Mail.

33 Articles

Ontario NDP's Andrea Horwath struggles to hold the line

Andrea Horwath is now in her 13th year as Ontario NDP leader, but 2018’s orange wave seems to be receding, and fast.

News, Politics | May 24th 2022

Steven Del Duca’s brutal climb to power

As Ontario Liberals geared up for a provincial election, they were faced with a unique problem — too few people had heard of their leader.

News | May 16th 2022

Race Against Climate Change podcast shortlisted for top climate solutions reporting award

Bolder, faster, together: Perspectives on societal transition

News, New News

'I did some digging you may be interested in'

That was the direct message I received on Twitter at 3:21 a.m. on Feb. 14. It was a few hours after hackers had released a load of data from the GiveSendGo fundraising campaign for the convoy protests in Ottawa. The anonymous Twitter user linked me to a thread they’d been compiling of the largest donations made by Canadians. The claims were shocking: an Ontario business mogul pitched in $25,000.

Opinion | April 11th 2022

We can build biodiversity by rewilding islands. Here's how: VIDEO

“It’s about the conservation of threatened species and recovery of threatened ecosystems,” said Gregg Howald, CEO of FreshWater Life, an NGO that works on freshwater preservation. “Islands support a disproportionate amount of our global biodiversity. About 20 per cent [of global biodiversity] are found on these islands, and they represent just about five per cent of the Earth’s surface.”

Interviews with Linda Solomon Wood

News

A biker rides past a truck decorated with anti-COVID-19 mandate sentiments during a protest in Ottawa on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022. Photo by Spencer Colby / Canada's National Observer

Meet some of the wealthy Canadians who donated to the trucker convoy

Leaked data from a crowdfunding campaign supporting the convoy suggests a considerable number of donations came from people who appear to be in the U.S.

News, Politics | February 16th 2022

Doug Ford flouts new distracted driver law by doing FaceTime interview while driving in snow storm

Analysis | January 18th 2022

Faith Goldy, a prominent far-right figure in Canada, appears on Alex Jones' InfoWars in 2018. Photo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

Extremist political provocateur breached election laws in bid for Toronto mayor’s chair

Given the resistance of far-right bases to logic, morality, and reason, however, it seems unlikely that Goldy’s financial wrongdoings will do much, if anything, to alienate her supporters, writes Luke Ottenhof.

Democracy and Integrity Reporting Project

Opinion | January 14th 2022

Forecasting Canada’s net-zero future with three energy transition leaders

On Thursday afternoon, Canada’s National Observer hosted what deputy managing editor David McKie described as a “kitchen table” discussion on Canada’s path to a net-zero future.

Interviews with Linda Solomon Wood

News | October 22nd 2021

WATCH: Remote work can reduce your carbon footprint and make your life better

The pandemic has radically altered our reality, but remote work has led to some major environmental wins. Watch data journalist Alexandra Samuel talk about how working from home can help reduce your carbon footprint.

News | June 11th 2021