We were honoured to visit the offices of Ontario Power Generation, the crown corporation responsible for over half of Ontario’s electricity generation. It was a pleasure to speak with Timothy Gopaul, Senior Manager Provincial Government Relations, and two of our energy expert alumni: Jake Sikora, Senior Manager Stakeholder and Government Relations and David Donavan, VP Corporate Business Development and Strategy. It was wonderful to continue our journeys exploring Ontario ene

It was a pleasure to meet with and learn about the Ontario Nurses Association this past week. The OLIP interns had the opportunity to chat with Imreet Kaur, Government and External Relations Specialist; Andre Fast, Government and External Relations Specialist; and Leanne Cooke, Senior Advisor at the Office of the President and Board of Directors. Starting as a nurses’ union, ONA now represents thousands of healthcare professionals across the province, ranging from an amalgam

It was wonderful to chat with the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance this week and learn more about contemporary issues facing students in universities across the province. We had the opportunity to speak with Omar Sayyed, VP Finance of the Steering Committee, and Octave Andrade-Dixon, Executive Director. Representing both the student-led and the executive leadership sides of the organization (something unique to an organization like OUSA), Omar and Octave had a wealth of

The interns “geared up” for a meeting with the Ontario Society of Professional Engineering (OSPE), Ontario's advocacy body for engineering and one of the only provincial advocacy bodies for engineers in Canada. It was wonderful to speak with Paola Cetares, Director of Public Affairs, and Lydia Batty, Public Relations Coordinator, about their experiences before joining OSPE and the work they do translating technical engineering information to digestible non-partisan content

The OLIP interns greatly appreciated meeting with Alain Brandon, Vice President of Government and Industry Relations, with Loblaw Companies Ltd. Founded in 1919, Loblaw now serves as the parent company operating some of Canada’s most well-known retailers, including Loblaws, NoFrills, Shopper’s DrugMart, and their associated independent brands. Over the course of our conversation, we had the opportunity to discuss the history and evolution of Loblaw over the years, as well as

This past week, the interns had the opportunity to meet with Ryan Clarke, Executive Director of Noviscend Inc. Noviscend is an organization established on the mandate of accelerating access to leading-edge Diagnostics and Medical Devices in the Canadian market. To achieve its mission, Noviscend delivers innovative forms of healthcare through advocacy, marketing, and education. Over the course of our conversation, it was fascinating to hear about Noviscend’s efforts in the he

The OLIP interns were delighted to meet with our partner, the Council of Ontario Universities (COU), and speak with Krista Orendorff, Vice-President, Public Affairs; Dominika Flood, Chief of Staff and Strategic Advisor; and Yvonne Robertson. Founded in 1962, COU is a non-partisan organization that strives to collaborate with its members to find consensus on a broad breadth of university-related issues and advance them through government and community stakeholders. The organi

The OLIP interns greatly enjoyed the opportunity to meet with our esteemed programme partner, Bombardier, and experience a site tour of the Aircraft Assembly Centre with our hosts: Sandra Buckler, Senior Director, External Affairs and Public Relations; Michael Murphy, Director of Methods, New Product Development; as well as Government Affairs interns, Nolan Pittman and Ela Ince. Though founded in 1942, Bombardier’s story started in 1907, with Joseph-Armand Bombardier’s inven

The interns were grateful for the opportunity to meet with Brian Johnson, Chief Operating Officer of Enbridge, and Islam Elsayed, Senior Advisor for Government Affairs, to discuss our programme partner, Enbridge’s, extensive role in North America’s energy sector. Over the course of our meeting with Brian and Islam, we received a comprehensive overview of Enbridge’s operations and its far-reaching impact. The discussion highlighted several striking facts about the company’s sc

The OLIP interns recently had the pleasure of meeting with the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects for an informative discussion on the Association’s work and the broader role of landscape architecture in Ontario. We had the opportunity to engage in conversation with Aina Budrevics, Steven Shuttle, and Gabby Knight. The Ontario Association of Landscape Architects is a self-regulating professional body that has operated in the province since 1968. As the regulator of

The interns had the pleasure of meeting with our esteemed partner, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), and gaining insight into the organization’s important work across Ontario’s postsecondary sector. OCUFA is the voice of more than 18,000 faculty members and academic librarians across the province. The organization works to promote high-quality postsecondary education while advocating for the rights and interests of academic staff. Over

The interns enjoyed the pleasure of meeting with our esteemed partner, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), and gaining insights into the organization’s cross-regional work. Over the course of our meeting with Carolyn Miller, Mark Tagliaferri, and Filomena Ferraro, we had the opportunity to discuss the operational core of the association, as well as its far-reaching impact across Ontario. OECTA plays an important role in supporting teachers across the p

The OLIP interns were delighted to meet with Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC) and learn more about this new partner of the programme. We had the opportunity to speak with Jacqueline Dobson, Director of Government Affairs; Agata Stankiewicz, Senior Director of Government Relations; and Alex Wellstead, Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations at Novartis, a member company of IMC. Over the course of our conversation, we discussed the role of industry within Canada’s

Navigating the snowcapped streets of Toronto, the interns were delighted to visit the headquarters of our esteemed Partner, the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS), and share a fruitful conversation over lunch with OLIP Alumni, Chris Morley, Vice President of Government Relations, and Ann DeRabbie, Vice President of Corporate Communications. Established in 1962, OMERS is one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pensions plans, providing secure, lifetime ret

The interns were grateful for the opportunity to meet with Benjamin Murray of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA), an esteemed Partner of OLIP. As an umbrella organization representing commercial fruit and vegetable growers across Ontario, OFVGA advocates on behalf of a wide range of commodity groups, including apple and grape growers, on key policy issues affecting the sector. During the meeting, we learned about OFVGA’s government relations work, w

The interns were deeply appreciative of the opportunity to meet with our Partner, the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council (CNIC), and discuss the development and implementation of Ontario-produced isotopes across the country. For over fifty years, Canada has been a world leader in the realm of radiopharmaceuticals. Our conversation with CNIC allowed us to trace the organization’s foundation in 2018, as well as explore its mandate to further Canada’s system of medical isotope p

The OLIP interns greatly enjoyed the pleasure of meeting with our Partner, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), and speaking with Isaac Werner, Senior Advisor of Government Relations. Over the course of our conversation, we discussed the foundations of NWMO, a non-profit organization that originated in 2002 under the mandate of managing Canada’s intermediate- and high-level radioactive waste in a sustainable manner. For over 20 years, NWMO has worked to create

Last Friday, the OLIP interns had the opportunity to meet with Anne Lavoie, Directrice générale et secrétaire-trésorière, and Emile Maheu, cadre – relations gouvernementales et communautaires, from our Partner, the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO). Over the course of our discussion, we discussed the association’s origins in 1939, where it established itself as a union that brought together various professions in French-speaking Ontar

This past week, the interns were delighted to meet with Gordon Cameron, Executive Director of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association (OCNA), an esteemed Partner of OLIP. Founded in 1950 and based in Toronto, the OCNA operates as a non-profit establishment with over 200 members located across the province. Over the course of our conversation, Gordon led us through an industry profile of community newspapers, including circulation systems, market sizes and distribution p

The interns were deeply appreciative for the opportunity to meet with our esteemed partner, the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA). We had the privilege of learning from the insights of Vice President of Policy, Sarah Hobbs; Director of Policy, Stephanie Wong; Senior Policy Analyst, Andrea Mayer; and Assistant‑Vice President, Risk and OLIP alumna, Beth Elder. The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association is a not‑for‑profit, membership‑based organiz