Melissa Thomson joined the Ontario Public Service in 2001 and has since been instrumental in a number of transformational policy initiatives across the organization.
As Director of Operations for the Assistant Secretary of Cabinet and Secretary of Management Board and Cabinet, Melissa provided strategic advice to key decision makers, and helped to shape Economic and Resource policy, Intergovernmental policy, Justice and Social policy in Ontario.
She has a strong background in democratic reform, which Melissa used to launch Ontario’s first-ever policy on Citizen Engagement and the first-ever OPS/province-wide Premier’s Ideas Campaign.
Among other large policy/legislative projects, she led the development of the precedent-setting first Long Term Affordable Housing Strategy, as well as the government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy.
Melissa is currently Assistant Deputy Minister at the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Secretariat, leading cross-government efforts to support the large-scale resettlement and integration of Syrian refugees in Ontario. She is also Ontario’s Fairness Commissioner.
She lives in Toronto with her husband and their two-year old son.