INVESTIGATIONS

Karina spent several semesters working with the Institute for Investigative Journalism at Concordia University, where she was eventually hired as an investigative reporting fellow in 2020.

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With the IIJ, Karina participated in three nationwide investigations: "Tainted H2O," "Clean Water, Broken Promises," and "Project Pandemic."

TAINTED H20 (2019)

GLOBAL NEWS (2019)

Calgary doesn't know how many lead pipes that could make the water unsafe

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STAR CALGARY (2019)

It would cost just $11 million for Calgary to replace all its public lead service lines. So why hasn't the city acted?

Tainted H2O was a year-long investigation into lead in Canada's drinking water. The investigation found elevated levels of lead across many cities, with some cities' lead levels surpassing those in Flint, Michigan.

Our three-person team in Calgary found elevated lead levels in some neighbourhoods, and uncovered that the City of Calgary was unaware of how many private lead service lines were providing water to homeowners.

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Following the initial investigation, city councillors pushed for an accelerated plan to remove all identified public lead pipes.

CLEAN WATER, BROKEN PROMISES
(2020)

GLOBAL NEWS (2020)

Broken Promises: Tsuut’ina Nation residents worry about water quality in wells

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GLOBAL NEWS (2020)

Running out of water a constant fear for some on Tsuut’ina Nation

Clean Water, Broken Promises was a 1.5 year-long investigation into the issues Indigenous communities face across Canada when accessing consistent, clean drinking water.

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In Calgary, we looked into how some residents of Tsuut'ina Nation — a First Nation merely five minutes away from the city's outermost communities — are unable to drink their tap water and must ration their water daily so their supply doesn't run out.

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As a 2020 Investigative Reporting Fellow with the Institute for Investigative Journalism, I played a main role in investigating these particular stories for the series. Covering this story included visiting the nation to speak with residents about their water firsthand.

PROJECT PANDEMIC (2020)

GLOBAL NEWS (2020)

Many Saskatchewan First Nations residents are travelling to get coronavirus treatment

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SASKATOON STARPHOENIX (2020)

Report finds 28 Sask. First Nations more than 50 km away from COVID-19 care facility

Project Pandemic was a Canada-wide data project launched by the Institute for Investigative Journalism when COVID-19 made its way into the country. For the project, reporters shared COVID-19 data among local, provincial and national news organizations to support community preparedness.

The data was focused on long-term care homes, Indigenous communities and other public spaces. It was shared through free up-to-the-minute ArcGIS maps.

As a 2020 Investigative Reporting Fellow, I worked on Project Pandemic and Clean Water, Broken Promises simultaneously.