Good morning, subscribers!

Spring seems to have finally arrived in Toronto just as the school year comes to an end. For students, the end of school is a time to reflect on the year behind us and to jump in to new adventures ahead. As our term as Editors-in-Chief comes to a close as well, we have prepared the final Brief with some PPGR articles from the 2017-2018 school year that deserve a special mention.

This week’s Morning Brief was prepared by Sasha and Natalie. Sign up here to receive the Morning Brief directly to your inbox every week.

Highlights of the 2017-18 school year

 

• Talking about social assistance policy can get complicated – especially once you dive into marginal effective tax rates. But Staff Writer Marvin Ferrer got creative this year in by using GIFs in his articles to explain the nuances of benefits and clawbacks. His piece, “New Canada Housing Benefit Will Help (Some of) the Poorest (Maybe),” has the Best Use of Multimedia in an article this year. [Ferrer/PPGR]

• The policy world can move quickly – sometimes, the issue is in the news one day and a proposal is on the Premier’s desk the next. As a policy publication, we need to be able to quickly source and publish commentary on the big issues of the day as well! Aidan Robern spun a lengthy Facebook post into an insightful (and speedily written) article on Ontario’s minimum wage hike, which is our Best Commentary on a Topical Policy Issue this year. [Robern/PPGR]

• At the School of Public Policy and Governance, there are always amazing events and public lectures to attend. SPPG has hosted some big names in politics and policy this year, and PPGR writers were often in the audience, scribbling away on a notepad to write an article about the event. Our favourite Seen + Heard piece comes from one of these public lectures: Rebecca Hellam’s article on Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus’ visit to campus is our Best Seen + Heard article this year. [Hellam/PPGR]

• If you write a policy brief in government, there’s not much room for emotion, but a commentary piece for the PPGR is a different story. Our favourite commentary pieces are those that crackle with the author’s passion for the subject at hand. Kayla Ishkanian has the Fieriest Opinion Piece of the year with her article on the politics of reproductive rights in Ontario. [Ishkanian/PPGR]

• Finally, as the School of Public Policy and Governance prepares to merge with the Munk School of Global Affairs for the newly named Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, we thought it would be fitting to recognize an article that highlights policy issues from abroad and their relevance to Canada. Samantha Hatoski’s piece “Big in Japan: Public Policy of Love” is our Best International Policy Article of the year. [Hatoski/PPGR]

As we wrap up our tenure as Editors-in-Chief of this esteemed publication, we want to thank the School of Public Policy and Governance for their ongoing support, our amazing editorial team for their dedicated work this year, and you, our loyal readers.

On to new adventures, in policy and beyond.

–Sasha and Natalie