Award-winning environmental and science journalist in Northern Ontario, Canada.

Leah Borts-Kuperman is the Northern Ontario reporter at The Narwhal, thanks to funding from the Local Journalism Initiative. She investigates environmental issues from her home in North Bay, Ontario.

As a freelance journalist and freelance science writer, Leah’s writing and investigations are also regularly published by Canada’s National Observer, Canadian Geographic, ON Nature, The Walrus, The Logic, The Local, TVO Today, American Chemical Society, and others.

She has reported extensively on topics of environment and public health, including concerns around a plastics factory in North Bay and Nipissing First Nation, and a project to recover endangered bats, led by Shawanaga First Nation.

Her reporting has been recognized on a national level, including as Best Investigative Article and Best Feel Good Story at the Canadian Online Publishing Awards in 2025. She was also nominated for a 2025 National Newspaper Award for her investigation into contamination on military sites across Canada.

In early 2025, Leah also participated in Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity’s Literary Journalism: Environmental Writing program. In fall 2024, she was a selected fellow for Council for the Advancement of Science Writing’s “Living and Working on a Hot Planet: Reporting on Climate Change and Human Health.” Also in 2024, Leah’s story “A squeaky wheel with data: how Nipissing First Nation is healing environmental damage,” for The Narwhal won the Gold medal in the Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPAs) for Best Feel Good Story.

In 2022, Opera Trans*formed: Teiya Kasahara, a short documentary Leah co-produced with Maria Sarrouh for CBC Music and the CBC Creator Network, was awarded Best in Festival at the Canadian Labour International Film Festival. In 2020, Leah’s work at Opera Canada magazine won Silver for Best Lifestyle Article/Series at the Canadian Online Publishing Awards. Leah also received the NEWSTALK 1010 Award for promising student journalism (‘19) and was a member of the National Ballet of Canada’s Emerging Arts Critics Programme (‘19-20).

Leah holds a Master’s of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (‘20) and an Honours Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science and Art History from University of Toronto (‘18). Here, she got her arts reporting chops as The Varsity’s Theatre Critic.

Now, Leah regularly gives radio interviews and lectures. Please get in touch at leahbortskuperman@gmail.com with story tips, assignments, speaking engagements, and other inquiries.