Riley Sparks
TorontoStar
France
Contact Riley
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Riley:
LIV golf. Soccer. WWE. How the Saudi regime keeps pushing to ‘sportswash’ its image
Reforms have been minor, and the royal family’s willingness to oppress its citizens and punish its enemies in methods continue to range all the way up to murder. Buying a soccer team, starting a golf loop and more represent the Saudis’ desire to change the conversation. → Read More
A year after Taliban return, Canadian anti-terror law still bars NGOs
Unlike the US and the UK, Ottawa’s rigid interpretation of the law has effectively banned Canadian aid organisations from working in the country. → Read More
Afghans yearning to come to Canada are spending sad and fearful days in Albania, waiting on a plane or an email from our government
Stopover nation becomes a kind of purgatory for would-be refugees stymied by complexity of bureaucracy and sheer weight of their numbers. → Read More
Europe is throwing open its doors for Ukrainians. For Afghans and other refugees, it’s detention and even beatings
Boys and young men who’ve fled Afghanistan survive in a rotting boxcar in Serbia, making bid after failed bid to enter the European Union. → Read More
Greenpeace’s Bunny McDiarmid dishes on lawsuits, sinking ships and Trump
National Observer spoke with McDiarmid about the Resolute lawsuits, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s environmental record, climate action in the age of Trump and more. → Read More
Lucky 13: Scheer defeats Bernier in final round of Conservative leadership vote
After 13 rounds, Scheer finally emerged as the winner of the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race. → Read More
Maxime Bernier leads after seven rounds in Conservative leadership vote
Maxime Bernier was ahead after the first round of voting in the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race. → Read More
Maxime Bernier leads after 10 rounds in Conservative leadership vote
Maxime Bernier was ahead after the first round of voting in the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race. → Read More
Maxime Bernier leads after first round in Conservative leadership vote
Maxime Bernier was ahead after the first round of voting in the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race. → Read More
Tory race down to Bernier and Scheer in nailbiter
Maxime Bernier was ahead after the first round of voting in the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race. → Read More
Late ballots frustrate would-be Tory voters
It may be harder to vote Conservative than you think → Read More
How Toronto can worm its way out of food waste
At a Caledon, Ont.-based worm farm, 250,000 red wiggler worms turn some of Toronto's organic waste into nutrient-rich worm manure. → Read More
Quebec "jailing" caribou in zoo, environmentalists say
The Quebec government says a plan to put a dwindling herd of caribou in a zoo is a "new start" for the animals. Environmentalists say it's a sham. → Read More
Chief City Planner Jennifer Keesmaat on how to fix Toronto
National Observer spoke with the city's chief planner to find out what's on her mind. → Read More
Chief City Planner Jennifer Keesmaat on how to fix Toronto
National Observer spoke with the city's chief planner to find out what's on her mind. → Read More
RCMP officers one step closer to forming union
Despite a Senate decision last week that they say could slow the union drive by months, a group aiming to represent Mounties is pressing ahead after signing up almost 10,000 members. → Read More
Oil crash hasn't slowed industry research on oilsands innovation
The 2014 oil crash doesn't seem to have had much effect on research to shrink the environmental footprint of the oilsands, according to an industry alliance. → Read More
Lobbyists target Senate to derail WestJet union bid
A 'suspicious' letter and a coordinated lobbying effort have been deployed in the corridors of the Senate in what appears to be a bid to block a union from forming at WestJet. → Read More
Tory accuses Trudeau-appointed senators of holding up probe of Bombardier loan
Liberal-appointed senators voted Thursday to postpone debate on a request for a Senate transport committee look into the federal government's $373 million interest-free loan to Bombardier. → Read More
Teachers urge $175 billion pension fund to send climate change message
“We need to stop thinking about it only in terms of dollars and cents right now. We need to think about the future,” Kingston teacher Andrea Loken tells National Observer. → Read More