Brian Lewis

Brian Lewis is an experienced Canadian public policy economist. He is currently based at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, housed the University of Toronto. At the Munk School, Lewis teaches in the Master of Public Policy and Undergraduate Public Policy Major programs. His areas of specialization include public finances, labour markets and macroeconomics. 

Earlier in his career, Lewis worked in the Ontario Ministry of Finance in progressively senior roles in the areas of economic and fiscal policy, forecasting and analysis. From 2012 to 2015, he was the inaugural Director of the Strategy and Integration Branch in the new Prevention Office in the Ontario Ministry of Labour, leading many aspects of the transformation of the provincial occupational health and safety system, including delivering the first provincial integrated system-wide occupational health and safety strategy and annual report. Lewis was Chief Economist and Assistant Deputy Minister of the Office of Economic Policy in the Ontario Ministry of Finance from 2015 to 2021. In that role, he led the development of advice to the Ontario government on economic performance, forecasting, analysis, and policy. Lewis also played a leadership role on statistics policy and practices. 

Lewis is currently a Senior Fellow with both the CD Howe Institute and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy.  He is also a member of the advisory board for the Conference Board of Canada’s “How Canada Performs” report. Lewis is a member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer for Govfest, a registered charity that delivers an annual festival by Ontario based public servants that celebrates music, arts and supports community-based projects around the world. 

Prior to joining the Ontario Public Service, Lewis taught economics at Wilfrid Laurier University, Brock University and the University of Alberta. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Alberta.  

Updated July 2023