While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Sharif Hassan.
TORONTO -- Many Canadians welcome the Democratic sweep of U.S. Congress, but have mixed views on whether voters' strong rebuke of President Donald Trump's administration will change their attitude toward America amid the ongoing trade war.
TORONTO -- What appeared to be a neck-and-neck race between two top contenders for the mayor's seat helped draw more people to the polls in Toronto, leading to the city's highest turnout in more than a decade, some experts say.
TORONTO -- Music blasted through speakers as people chatted enthusiastically outside a Toronto venue, moving between tents, a hotdog cart and an ice cream truck on a sunny October day.
TORONTO -- As Toronto's leading mayoral candidates criss-cross the city, pitching their vision ahead of this month's municipal elections, voters say affordability, housing, public safety and transit are the top issues they want to see addressed.
If you're angered by U.S. President Donald Trump's renaming of Lake Ontario to "Lake America," chances are that an American living in your neighbourhood might be just as outraged -- if not more.
PORT HOPE -- When the Ontario government announced plans earlier this year to build what could become one of the world's largest nuclear power plants in a picturesque community of roughly 18,000 people, the news came wrapped in a series of celebratory speeches.
TORONTO -- The federal government acknowledged this week that forced adoptions had a lasting impact on people and families in Canada after the Second World War but stopped short of offering the public apology sought by advocates, including some affected by the practice.
The City of Pickering is set to vote next month on a secondary housing development plan that could transform the municipality's landscape east of Toronto over the next quarter-century.
TORONTO -- Danielle Martin's first job after graduating from university was in the office of a member of provincial parliament who served as the Liberals' health critic under a Progressive Conservative government in Ontario.
TORONTO -- Danielle Martin's first job after graduating from university was in the office of a member of provincial parliament who served as the Liberals' health critic under a Progressive Conservative government in Ontario.
TORONTO -- After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, nearly 300,000 Ukrainians were welcomed in communities across Canada as part of an emergency visa program that allowed those fleeing the war to temporarily work and study in the country.
Before the latest anti-government protests in Iran began, Shadi Dashmiz was in contact with her father every day, exchanging calls, texts and pictures.
TORONTO -- The mayors of Ontario's 29 largest cities are calling on the province to declare a state of emergency as municipalities deal with what they call a "community safety and humanitarian crisis" created by homelessness, mental health and addiction.
During the Israel-Hamas war, a Canadian paramedic was fired, a teacher was put on extended leave and a doctor's residency was suspended.
KINGSTON -- On a chilly November morning, more than 100 volunteers began arriving at a historic cemetery in Kingston, Ont., to help honour soldiers who are buried there.
BARRIE -- For the past 15 years, Shania Steeves has slept on sidewalks and stayed in overcrowded, sometimes unsafe shelters.
Tammy Daigle has spent more than half of her life in the rural, northern Ontario community of Fauquier-Strickland, focusing on her family and rarely thinking about the small town's finances.
TORONTO -- A coalition that represents hundreds of child-care centres says the Ontario government's proposed measures to boost daycare safety are welcome, but is cautioning against a "blanket" solution given the diversity of programs in the province.
The mayor of Barrie, Ont., has declared a state of emergency over homeless encampments in the city, citing concerns about public safety as a justification for the decision.
When a friend asked for help to build a fenced home for his dogs, Bryton Bongard made a deal: he would lend a hand in exchange for several puppies.
At first it appears to be a quirky video clip generated by artificial intelligence to make people laugh.
The Centre for Free Expression is calling for the reinstatement of a York Region paramedic whose union says she was fired over a social media post criticizing Israel's military operations in the Middle East.
INGERSOLL -- Bob Pulham recalls the optimism in the air when General Motors began producing electric vans in Ingersoll, Ont., in late 2022.
NIAGARA FALLS -- Some Manitoba residents who have taken refuge in Niagara Falls, Ont., after fleeing wildfires raging in their province say they're grateful for the hospitality but worry they won't have a home to return to once the flames die down.
TORONTO -- When a church in Toronto's west end was converted into affordable housing nearly 15 years ago, the group behind the project was already thinking ahead.
Several Ontario mayors have been calling on the province to ban financial incentives municipalities use to lure in doctors, saying the recruitment tactic is harming communities that can't pony up the cash - especially those in rural and northern regions.
There is a street named after him in a British town.
An ongoing trade war and U.S. President Donald Trump's hunger for critical minerals have brought Canada's rich mineral deposits into the spotlight, with federal and provincial politicians promising to accelerate natural resource projects.
TORONTO -- When Osama Al-Hadad arrived from Yemen and applied for asylum at Toronto's Pearson airport, he was taken into custody because he lacked documentation to prove his identity.
Mayors of several Canadian border cities and towns are calling for support from the federal government as the tariff war with the United States starts to hurt their communities.
Kimberly Waletich isn't Canadian.
TORONTO -- When Vince Gasparro's daughter suddenly fell ill last year, the "total chaos" he witnessed in the emergency department of a Toronto hospital spurred his desire to enter electoral politics.
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- When Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish resigned from a regional police board, citing the need to be openly critical of the largest budget increase in the force's history, her decision took many by surprise.
TORONTO -- The last time Ontarians went to the polls, the province recorded the lowest voter turnout in its election history. Observers say they don't expect a significant change in this month's snap election.
When Douglas Judson asked the Township of Emo to declare June as Pride month and display a rainbow flag for a week in 2020, he never imagined the request would turn into a years-long legal dispute that still has no end in sight.
Incoming U.S. president Donald Trump has been courting controversy in Canada since his election victory, with threats to impose whopping tariffs on Canadian goods and musings about the country becoming "the 51st state."
Ontario's colleges and universities say the federal government's cap on international students is taking a toll on the higher education sector as some schools face growing deficits, layoffs and, in at least one case, a temporary campus closure.
Dozens of researchers across Canada, including renowned environmentalist David Suzuki, have joined a growing chorus of voices urging the federal government to halt the importation of an endangered monkey species for medical research in Quebec.
After knocking on thousands of doors during this year's U.S. presidential campaign, David Shelton's work is done -- now, he's looking forward to knocking back a drink or two at a local bar on election night with fellow Americans.
CLINTON, Ont. _ Randy Marriage was a regular at his hometown's only pool when he was growing up, cooling off with friends on summer days. His grandchildren won't have the same chance.