Mark Olsheski is a Vice President in the Energy Practice at Sussex Strategy Group where he provides advocacy and advisory services to power and utilities, infrastructure, natural resources and industrial clients. Mark joined Sussex after more than eight years at Queen's Park serving in a number of policy and legislative affairs capacities within the Government of Ontario, including at the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure, and Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing.
Prior to joining Sussex he held the positions of Director of Policy & Stakeholder Relations to Ontario's Minister of Energy, and Senior Policy Advisor for Supply, Transmission & Distribution. In these roles, he provided strategic leadership and helped oversee a coordinated approach to public policy development and implementation in Ontario's energy sector. This involved working across departmental responsibilities to advance legislative, regulatory and policy transformation in alignment with and support of the broader priorities of the government, including climate change, economic development, Ontario's fiscal plan, the province's relationship with Indigenous peoples and growing sustainable communities.
Mark worked on the development of Ontario's Long-Term Energy Plan and subsequently on its practical implementation, particularly respecting the coordinated refurbishment of Ontario's baseload nuclear fleet, fostering supportive policies and programs for clean technology, strengthening and expanding the electricity grid in remote Northern regions, implementing electricity rate mitigation programs for industry, as well as Ontario's approach to the expansion of energy pipeline infrastructure and the final retirement of coal-fired electricity generation in the province.
His responsibilities likewise involved working closely with industry leaders, NGOs, associations, municipalities, and government agencies, incorporating a diverse range of interests and opinions to effectively advise the public policy decision making process. Part of this collaboration, and during his tenure at the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure, included the initial implementation of Ontario's first Long-Term Infrastructure Plan. This ground-breaking initiative involved the investment of approximately $35 billion in capital projects over three years, and the close coordination of the province's infrastructure investment relationship with the Government of Canada and municipalities.
Over the course of his career in public service, he has worked on some of the government's most challenging policy and issues management files. He brings with him a comprehensive understanding of policy development and the political process, as well as a practical perspective and approach to providing counsel.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) from the IUM Business School in the Principality of Monaco.