Jaela Bernstien
Journalist Portfolio
Hello!
I'm a bilingual (English/Français) journalist and visual storyteller based in Montreal, Quebec.
I am a multimedia reporter — I research, write and produce stories for print/digital, radio and TV/video. I also sometimes shoot and edit my own content.
I usually cover topics that focus on science, climate change and conservation. I love to tell the types of stories that make you feel. I've filed for CBC's The National, World Report, The Sunday Edition, The Doc Project, Maclean's and The Globe and Mail.
Recent Work
A selection of my latest stories
Why environmentalists went after Canada's biggest bank for alleged greenwashing
Oct 16, 2022
Standing in the rain in downtown Montreal, Kukpi7 (Chief) Judy Wilson lifts her fist in defiance outside a branch of the Royal Bank of Canada. Wilson's gesture goes largely unnoticed by the shoppers who hurry past, but her efforts to hold banks accountable on financing fossil fuels have certainly caught the attention of Canadian regulators.
Canada, host of the UN biodiversity summit, is struggling to meet its own targets
Oct 09, 2022
Canada has a wealth of wildlife and nature, but more species are at risk than ever. An analysis on stalling species protection ahead of the UN global biodiversity summit in Montreal
A tiny fraction of the high seas are protected. Why a UN treaty is needed now more than ever
Aug 26, 2022
A Canadian mining company is eyeing the seafloor as a resource to harvest as climate change, fishing, shipping and resource extraction encroach on one of the last wild places on Earth. Why calls for a UN high seas treaty are more urgent than ever.
Enduring the Heat
July 26, 2022
What’s it like to live with heat?
Meet Canadians enduring extreme heat in cities, and the changemakers pushing for solutions
Frontburner Podcast: How to fix Urban Heat Islands
July 20, 2022
On the Frontburner daily news podcast, CBC reporter Jaela Bernstien breaks down what "urban heat islands" are, who is most vulnerable, and how to fight urban heat.
Sweltering Cities
July 13, 2022
An online interactive story about why cities are one of the most dangerous places to be during a heat wave.
Cooling Canopy
July 13, 2022
An online interactive story about how Canadian cities can save lives by improving access to shade.
Canada's golden crop isn't built for heat. Canola breeders hope to fix that
Aug 20, 2022
Farmers are adapting practices to climate change, but say they need help from genetics
What's a derecho and why is it so destructive? The science behind the powerful storm
May 25, 2022
When Canadian tornado expert David Sills studied the forecast on Saturday morning, he never expected the line of storms headed for Windsor, Ont., would soon strengthen into Canada's first derecho in decades, wreaking havoc across southern Ontario and Quebec.
Innovative atlas puts Indigenous knowledge on the map — literally — to help tackle climate crisis
Mar 15, 2022
Hetxw'ms Gyetxw spent his childhood on Gitxsan territory in the Northwest Interior of British Columbia, and he's seen the dramatic ways climate change has altered the land where he grew up. He's used his first-hand experience to bridge the gap between Indigenous knowledge and Western science, and to help create a new interactive tool aimed at understanding and addressing climate change in Canada
Humans are the main source of COVID-19. What happens now that we've spread it to animals?
Feb 10, 2022
If there's one thing social media loves, it's a Disney-like moment with a wild animal. But those seemingly innocent interactions between humans and wildlife could be costly during a pandemic.
CBC NEWS: Quebec entrepreneur, 93, donates cherished island after protecting it from city sprawl
Dec 14, 2021
For most of his adult life, Thor Vikström has watched the seasons change and the birds come and go from the small Quebec island he's owned that sits opposite his riverside home in Laval, Que.
At 93, he says he's at peace knowing the land — nestled between Montreal and Laval — will remain protected long after he's gone now that he's donated it.
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CBC NEWS: Climate change means Arctic may no longer be a safe haven for nesting birds
Oct 29, 2021
Wildlife research scientist Paul Smith is a lot like the birds he studies: every spring, when the ice recedes, he migrates north to the Arctic. But while he's been able to adapt to the changing climate, the nesting birds have not been so lucky in the face of new threats.
CBC NEWS: How space exploration is advancing remote medicine
Nov 24, 2021
As billionaires race to the stars, many have been quick to throw shade on the rich for spending money on joyrides to space instead of solving problems on Earth. But a Canadian astronaut is reminding people that space exploration has the power to contribute to life-changing advances on our planet.
CBC NEWS: Hazara expats from Afghanistan grapple with their own trauma while helping others escape
Aug 22, 2021
Halima Bahman may be sitting in the safety of her home in the suburbs north of Toronto, but her mind is thousands of kilometres away in Afghanistan, where the Taliban's renewed grip on power makes her fear the worst for family and friends.
CBC NEWS: Outspoken health experts say racist social media attacks have taken a toll
Jul 16, 2021
Plenty of Canadians have experienced firsthand how quickly disagreements over public health measures during the pandemic can turn ugly. But a daily flood of hateful attacks received by outspoken medical professionals — especially those who are people of colour — frequently cross the line from outrage to outright personal attacks, racism and even threats of violence.
MACLEAN'S: When it's time to give back
June 22, 2021
After surviving European incursions, colonialism and a 500-km journey from its home, a 171-year-old beaded hood must wait a bit longer before it can go back to Eeyou Istchee, James Bay Cree territory in northern Quebec ...
DOCUMENTARY: What it's like living in Montreal's tent city
Dec 4, 2020
The story of Michel Groulx, one of the people camping in a makeshift tent city that sprang up in Montreal