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 interns recently had the pleasure of meeting with Doug Wong, an OLIP alumnus from the 2013–2014 cohort. During our conversation, Doug reflected thoughtfully on his time in OLIP, emphasizing how the program “set the stage” for his future career. He thoughtfully answered our questions about his experiences as a federal staffer, including his work in Ottawa and involvement in lobbying. He discussed both the advantages and challenges of working in political environments, hig

Keen to refine our understanding of provincial leadership, the OLIP interns enjoyed the privilege of meeting with MPP John Fraser, Interim Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. First elected as MPP for Ottawa South in 2013, and having served as Interim Leader in 2018, 2022, and concurrently, MPP Fraser brought a wealth of experience from his long tenure in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Our conversation explored leadership in practice, the evolving landscape of provinci

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 OLIP interns were honoured to meet with R. J. Simpson, Premier of the Northwest Territories and MLA for Hay River North. Premier Simpson was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2015 during the 18th Assembly, later elected to the 20th Assembly, and on December 7th, 2023, chosen by his colleagues to serve as Premier. Prior to entering territorial politics, he worked with the Government of Canada and served on the board of the Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre. Duri

During our visit to the Northwest Territories, the interns had the honour of meeting with Speaker Shane Thompson and learning from his guidance on parliamentary proceedings. We are grateful for having had the opportunity to join him for a generous lunch and discuss firsthand his experiences in public service and the important responsibilities of serving as Speaker. Speaker Thompson shared valuable insights into how the Speaker is elected in the NWT Legislature, as well

The OLIP interns had the amazing opportunity to meet with Yellowknife Mayor Ben Hendriksen during our study tour, where we had an engaging and wide-ranging discussion about some of the most pressing issues facing the city and the broader North. Mayor Hendriksen shared valuable insights into the evolving political and economic landscape of the Arctic, noting a growing global shift in attention toward Arctic relations and a renewed interest from Ottawa in Northern Canada. Our

The OLIP interns were excited to visit Buffalo Airways during our Yellowknife study tour, where we had the pleasure of meeting Amy, who kindly guided us through the hangar and shared her knowledge of the airline’s operations. Buffalo Airways is a Canadian airline based in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories that specializes in cargo, charter, and passenger flights serving remote communities across Northern Canada. The airline was founded in 1970 by bush pilot Joe McBry

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

I had the pleasure of undertaking my Government placement with MPP Michelle Cooper. In my four months in MPP Cooper’s office, I had the opportunity to work on legislation, speechwriting, and constituency issues. I had the wonderful opportunity to support MPP Cooper’s preparations leading up to the announcement of her Private Member’s Motion in December. The motion, seeking to tackle hate crime in Ontario, allowed me to gain insight into the real processes that go into making

This fall, I had the opportunity to work with MPP Chris Glover, the NDP representative for the great riding of Spadina-Fort York, and Critic for for Democratic Reform, Technology, and Sport. Chris has been an MPP since 2018, but before then, he was largely involved in community affairs in his hometown of Oshawa and Toronto, ranging from serving as a TDSB Trustee to teaching at local high schools and universities, and organizing community movements. He’s studied extensively in

My first placement was with Government MPP Deepak Anand, representing Mississauga-Malton. During my time with Mr. Anand, I was given the opportunity to involve myself in a variety of legislative matters. I assisted the office in preparing member's statements and remarks on bills. In doing so, I gained insight into the issues shaping Ontario today, including the need for long-term, sustainable energy, coordination of service delivery between the provincial and municipal govern