Why Strong Candidates Fall Short
Why strong candidates fall short As we get closer to the 2026 Ontario municipal elections this fall, many strong candidates are starting to come forward wanting to serve their communities. The sad reality is, many will fall short. When a capable municipal candidate loses, the easy conclusion is that they failed to connect with voters. […]
Government Doesn’t Take the Summer Off. Neither Should Your Advocacy.
When Queen’s Park rises for the summer, many organizations assume government does too, and they take their foot off the gas. Don’t make that mistake. Government doesn’t stop when the Legislature does. Ministers are on the road. MPPs are on the ground in their ridings. Political staff are working on priorities for the fall. Policy […]
Pipeline peace and Premier David Eby’s economic agenda highlight historic deal brokered by Prime Minister Mark Carney
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier David Eby today announced an historic and comprehensive economic agreement that touches on nearly every sector of the province’s economy while brokering peace between British Columbia and Alberta on the divisive issue of pipeline construction. The Canada-British Columbia Prosperity Agreement provides federal financial support to a series of critically […]
Pegah Taj and Maleeka Thomas Join Counsel Public Affairs
Counsel expands teams in BC and Ottawa Counsel continues to grow its expert team, strengthening its presence across multiple jurisdictions and expanding its ability to support clients navigating complex policy, regulatory, and government relations environments. With the addition of Pegah Taj as Senior Consultant in Victoria and Maleeka Thomas as Consultant in Ottawa, Counsel continues […]
Counsel at CRIC 2026 – Some Thoughts on Insights, AI, and Where We Go From Here
Recently, I had the privilege of attending CRIC’s national conference at The Carlu in downtown Toronto (CRIC stands for Canadian Research Insights Council). The conference was an opportunity for Canada’s research, analytics, and insights community to come together to share ideas and celebrate innovation beneath the timeless Art Moderne ceilings of the former Eaton’s Seventh […]
The Best Employees You’ve Never Thought to Hire
One of the biggest challenges for ambitious, fast-growing organizations is finding the right talent – the kind of people who can jump in and keep up. The question is: what does that person look like and more importantly, where do you find them? Do you need someone who can think on their feet, put out fires, and function on minimal sleep? […]
From Assumption to Insight: Driving smarter strategy with qualitative research
In the business of helping organizations to strategize, influence, and lead in their respective spaces, decisions often need to be made quickly. In this environment, opinion research can be a critical source of information, but to bring value, it must keep pace. Quantitative research tools, namely surveys or polls, are often the first (or the […]
An Industrial Strategy for AI: Canada Picks Adoption Over Regulation
Key takeaways: The document is an industrial strategy for fostering domestic AI champions, expanding access to compute, leveraging AI for health research, and training workers to use these new tools. There are nods to regulation, but nothing that wasn’t already being discussed in the prior Parliament. Privacy legislation and the online harms bill are coming, […]
Ontario Spring Legislative Wrap-up: Ford Government Keeps Agenda Moving Despite Ongoing Controversies
From housing and transportation to school board governance, Queen’s Park moved forward on major reforms while navigating contentious public debates. Ontario’s spring legislative session ends with Ford focused on affordability, infrastructure and political durability Ontario’s spring legislative session is ending with Premier Doug Ford’s government returning to a familiar message: economic growth, infrastructure delivery and stability amid uncertainty. The […]
Manitoba Legislature Wraps Spring Session Amid Procedural Battles and Policy Priorities
As the Manitoba Legislature adjourns for the summer, the 2026 spring session will be remembered as much for procedural conflict as policy debate. In the closing days of the session, MLAs sat through overnight sittings as government and opposition members battled over the passage of the Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act (BITSA). The […]