Marco Vigliotti is the editor-in-chief of iPolitics and QP Briefing. He reports on politics in Ottawa and Toronto, and has covered Parliament Hill for the better part of the past decade. He also worked for the Ottawa Citizen/Sun and The Hill Times.

Marco Vigliotti

Editor-in-Chief

 annual survey of the most influential Ontario politicians and staff.

This year's QPB survey ran from April 3-30, attracting responses from cabinet ministers, MPPs, staffers, lobbyists, advocates and others.

Today, we close out our look at the survey results with the most influential government staffers at Queen's Park.

Once again, Patrick Sackville headlines our list. It's not a surprise — despite controversy over his use of his personal email, he still holds one of the most influential un-elected positions in government as chief of staff to Premier Doug Ford.

Sackville, who previously served as Ford’s principal secretary, has been with Ford’s office since the PCs took office in 2018 save for a brief spell in 2021 when he joined Hydro One.

Prior to joining Ford’s office, he worked in government relations for the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers and before that, worked as a Queen’s Park staffer.

Sackville also finished first in last year's QP Briefing survey.

We have a new entrant to our list: David Donovan, the chief of staff to the energy minister. It's a position he's held since 2021, providing him a key role in the government's rollout of investments aimed at bolstering Ontario's electricity capacity as it faces increased demand from new businesses and a growing population.

Donovan, like Sackville, has been a near-lifer in the Ford government, holding a senior staffer role for all but six months in 2021, when he joined Sussex Strategy Group as a director for energy and environment. But he left that role to join the energy minister's office.

Stephen Lecce took over as the energy minister from Todd Smith in last week's cabinet shuffle.

Deputy Chief of Staff for Media, Stakeholder Relations and Forward Planning, Office of the Premier

Another returning name to our list is Ivana Yelich, who keeps a hold on the third-place spot from 2023.

Yelich is well known in media circles, having served as the premier’s press secretary from 2018 to 2020. She was then promoted to director of media relations (and then executive director), before being named a deputy chief of staff in October 2022.

Prior to joining Ford’s office, Yelich worked on Parliament Hill as a staffer and a radio and television news producer.

Chief of Staff, Office of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Mike Klimuntowski is a new name on our list but his strong showing is not surprising as housing has been the top file for the Ford government since the 2022 election — whether good or bad.

Executive Director of Stakeholder Relations, Office of the Premier

We go back to the premier's office for the fifth spot. David DiPaul, a Ford government lifer, has served as the executive director of stakeholder relations since February 2023. Prior to that role, he served as a chief of staff and senior advisor for two different ministries.

Chief of Staff, Ontario's Minister of Legislative Affairs (Government House Leader)

Owen Macri is another new entrant on our list who's also reporting to a new minister, with Steve Clark taking over from Paul Calandra after last week's shuffle.

Deputy Chief of Staff, Issues Management, Media Relations & Legislative Affairs, Office of the Premier

Cody Welton, who returns to our list, has been with Ford since the PCs took office following the 2018 election. He's also served as a PC staffer since 2014, serving in the leaders’ office as a senior advisor between 2015 and 2018.

Executive Director of Research and Legislative Affairs, Office of the Premier

Andrew Robert is another new entrant on the list. He's the fifth of six premier's office staff to make the cut. 

Chief of Staff, Office of the Minister of Transportation

Joshua Workman returns to our list for his work in Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria's office. Workman was also named a finalist in last year's survey, when he served as former labour minister Monte McNaughton's chief of staff, a position he had held since 2019.

Executive Director of Public Appointments & Human Resources, Office of the Premier

Rounding out our list is Jennifer Couto Miranda, the premier's pointperson for appointments. She's been in the role since 2020, though has served in the premier's office since 2018.

Here are Ontario’s most influential government staffers according to Queen's Park Briefing’s 2024 Survey.

QP Briefing Survey 2024: Most influential government staffers

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