Shane Joy didn’t come to the Max Bell School looking for quick solutions. He came with questions about how complex systems shape people’s lives. Growing up in Toronto as a first-generation student, he watched people he cared about grapple with substance abuse and mental health challenges. The hardest part, he recalls, was not understanding why certain problems kept repeating over generations. “I didn’t really have a lot of resources or guidance,” he says. “The intergenerational history of addiction and mental-health issues exposed me early on to structural challenges people face.” These experiences led to persistent questions that would eventually lead him to policy – and after completing his MPP, he was awarded the 2026 Stanley Hartt Prize in Public Policy for his achieved academic excellence and contributions to the life of the School.
At the University of Toronto, Shane studied history and international relations, where he learned how institutions and laws shape lived realities. The combination of academic training and personal experience convinced him that effective policy requires both a historical understanding and a commitment to equity. He began to see that many of the struggles he had witnessed were not isolated incidents but symptoms of policy failures.
When choosing a graduate program, Shane looked for a place that could bridge theory and practice. The Max Bell School stood out to him for its diverse faculty and its focus on early-career professionals. “I wanted to engage with people who had more experience than I,” he says. “The mix of backgrounds was a pull factor for sure.” He was also drawn by the program's emphasis on real-world application, which aligned with his desire to investigate systemic inequities.
Learning from City Hall and the Classroom
Before arriving in Montreal, Shane worked for a councillor at Toronto City Hall, and this experience shattered his assumption that policymaking followed a neat sequence. He saw that it is “never linear,” involving political dynamics and fiscal constraints. He learned to maintain a long-term perspective while remaining adaptable to immediate challenges – a lesson that prepared him for the Max Bell curriculum.
Early in the program, faculty member Neil Bouwer offered advice that Shane carried: fall in love with the problem. Shane had always been eager to jump straight to solutions, but Neil urged students to first understand the institutional and historical context of the issues they were tackling. The philosophy changed how Shane approaches public policy, from examining the root causes to letting the analysis guide his designs.
Shane firmly believes that governments need to co-create policy with communities. Making governments work better means engaging with people affected by policies and designing solutions together. The Max Bell MPP program has reinforced this commitment and given him the tools to implement it. The courses and discussions he’s had have helped him think about what effective community engagement looks like in practice, not just in theory.
Building Community, Building Capacity
As a McCall MacBain Scholar, Shane has embraced opportunities beyond the classroom. The scholarship has given him the time and resources to focus on both his studies and his community. While at Max Bell, he served as the President of the Public Policy Association of Graduate Students (PPAGS) and Managing Editor of The Bell. He also volunteered at the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal, connecting with the wider community while learning from Indigenous perspectives.
Shane sees his time at the Max Bell School as a tool he can carry into multiple arenas. “The School helps students think about problems and address them in a way that's inclusive and effective,” he says. He is interested in national security and intelligence policy, areas he believes are undergoing significant shifts in Canada. He applied this interest in his Research Assistantship working on the 2026 Canada-US policy conference and the launch of the Second Century Commission with professors Jennifer Welsh, Vincent Rigby, and Pearl Eliadis.
“I worked closely with Shane throughout the year – both as his professor for the Canada-US relations course and as his assigned mentor,” says core faculty member Vincent Rigby. “I found him to be not just an outstanding student – intellectually curious, hard working, deeply analytical, and an excellent communicator both verbally and in writing – but a leader among the cohort. Shane put tremendous energy into his many extracurricular activities to help make this year's cohort at Max Bell the special group that it was. The other students clearly liked and respected him, not just for his intellect, but for his friendship, calm demeanour, and integrity.”
After the MPP, Shane has returned to the University of Toronto to pursue a joint Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration at the Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law and Rotman School of Management. “I thoroughly enjoyed working with Shane on international relations and national security issues, and look forward to seeing him continue his success in law school and well beyond as he embarks on his future career,” says Vincent.
For first-generation and early-career students considering an MPP, Shane encourages them to see the degree as more than just an additional credential. He describes it as a tool that equips students to navigate complex systems with greater confidence. The curriculum is only one part of it; the peers, faculty, visiting speakers, and wider network of support shape the learning just as much. For someone who entered the program directly from undergrad, this environment has been formative in shaping his approach to policy. “Take full advantage of all the School has to offer, whether it’s extracurriculars, professional development opportunities, guest speakers and events in the wider McGill community, and the staff expertise available to support you on your journey,” says Shane. “I think the time I invested was like building the foundation of a house: I left feeling more connected with my cohort and the wider McGill and Montreal community, more clear about my direction professionally, and more confident in my ability to think critically and analytically about complex problems while proposing actionable, evidence-based solutions.”
