I had the privilege of being placed with Legislative Research for my Office of the Legislative Assembly branch placement. I was drawn to this branch by the opportunity to conduct research into various provincial policy issues. True to my expectations, I was able to research topics from Daylight Saving Time to the Energy Sector in Ontario. I learned a great deal about areas I had no prior knowledge in, and I was able to use my findings to update online resources that the branch maintains for Members and their staff.
I really valued the opportunity to research the opioid crisis in Ontario, as this was an area that I worked closely in throughout my graduate program. I worked with a Research Officer to review recent news articles, public health releases, scholarly articles, and other relevant sources. The entire process helped me understand how thorough a job Research Officers are expected to perform. Their work captures a screenshot of Ontario in the present moment, and I have much appreciation for the importance of their branch. A huge thank you goes out to Research Officer Sandra Lopes for giving me the opportunity to work on this project!
As my time with Legislative Research comes to a close, I want to thank my supervisor Nick Ruderman, Sandra Lopes and the whole branch—I’ll take the conversations and insights from each of you with me into my future MPP placements and beyond!
