Fresh thinking for public and non-profit leaders
At Connor Claire, we share strategic insights, policy trends, and lessons from the field to help your organization grow stronger, smarter, and more equitable. These aren't just ideas — they're road-tested reflections from work we've done across Canada.
2026-07-22
Strategic plan, service model, or org design? They're not the same thing, and getting the wrong one doesn't just waste time. It can leave the real problem untouched.
Read More →2026-07-09
What makes policy consulting work, and what makes it fall short, usually comes down to a few fundamentals. After three posts on the craft, here's what I keep coming back to.
Read More →2026-06-30
Part three in a series on the craft of policy consulting: how to tell what kind of advisor you have hired when the decision is already made.
Read More →2026-06-24
Part two in a series on the craft of policy consulting: why trust, more than methodology, determines what a project can actually produce.
Read More →2026-06-17
The first post in a new series on the craft of policy consulting: why naming internal alignment before a project begins saves time and money.
Read More →2026-06-10
Part Four of a four part series: Why governments hire outside policy expertise
Read More →2026-06-03
Part Three of a four-part series: Why Governments Hire Outside Policy Expertise
Read More →2026-05-25
Part Two of a four-part series: Why Governments Hire Outside Policy Expertise
Read More →2026-05-07
This is the third piece in a short series on strategic planning in constrained systems. Earlier posts focused on a recurring reality: [When strategic planning surfaces problems the organization can't
Read More →2026-04-22
Strategic planning often brings clarity to priorities, even in the face of structural constraints.
Read More →2026-04-08
Inclusive engagement is often identified as a requirement—but rarely reflected in how the work is designed.
Read More →2026-03-25
The pressure on shelters is not temporary. It is structural. A new national report from Women's Shelter Canada makes something harder to ignore.
Read More →2026-03-18
One thing that always makes me a little queasy when doing strategic planning is when the process surfaces structural issues that are beyond the organization to actually solve.
Read More →2026-02-25
Policy work is where solutions to complex problems live. Homelessness. Poverty. Access to healthcare. These aren't problems solved by a single program or a good press release.
Read More →2026-02-18
When provincial initiatives intentionally allow local variation, performance measurement needs to account for shared outcomes, local priorities, and time horizons.
Read More →2026-02-12
Frontline workers are having to work two jobs, live with roommates, or leave a profession they love because what they get paid doesn't allow them to feed their families.
Read More →2026-01-28
Since January, I’ve been attending Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Action Team meetings in Prince Edward County. Even in that short time, I’ve been struck by the level of collaboration and comm
Read More →2026-01-07
With the start of a New Year, and a new life in a new community, I've been reflecting about systems and patterns. I'm sharing these reflections not as an expert with answers, but as a practitioner trying to make sense of a complex moment.
Read More →2025-09-18
By Susan Underhill , Principal, Connor Claire Group & Amanda Parriag , Principal, ParriagGroup Men must step up Last week, the NHL lifted suspensions for the five former Hockey Canada players acquitte
Read More →2025-09-11
By Amanda Parriag , Principal, ParriagGroup & Susan Underhill , Principal, Connor Claire Group When budgets tighten across the public sector, downsizing follows. These processes are governed by collec
Read More →2025-08-12
Across Canada, elder abuse and gender‑based violence (GBV) are too often treated as separate issues. Yet older adults, particularly women and gender‑diverse seniors, frequently experience abuse that s
Read More →2025-07-24
Leading with integrity when it matters most By Susan Underhill , Principal, Connor Claire Group & Amanda Parriag , Principal, ParriagGroup Across Canada, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) have be
Read More →2025-07-16
By Susan Underhill , Principal, Connor Claire Group & Amanda Parriag , Principal, ParriagGroup When we talk about financial abuse of older adults, it’s easy to imagine something obvious: someone forgi
Read More →2025-07-03
By Susan Underhill , Principal, Connor Claire Group & Amanda Parriag , Principal, ParriagGroup While many campuses are investing in bold new visions of student success, two of the most basic student n
Read More →2025-06-24
By Susan Underhill, Principal, Connor Claire Group The future of gender-based violence (GBV) services is gender-inclusive Women’s shelters have long been pillars of safety, advocacy, and care. But tod
Read More →2025-06-23
By Amanda Parriag, ParriagGroup and Susan Underhill, Connor Claire Group In Canadian post-secondary institutions, non-academic student supports, such as mental health services, housing navigation, foo
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