Co-Op Internship at the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation

While university campuses have been closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Zufishain Saleem was away for a different reason. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, known to Ontario homeowners as MPAC, approached the Department with an 8-month internship opportunity. While the work placement in the Geographic Analysis program usually extends over just one term (the summer between Year 3 and 4), we supported several students in pursuing this extended placement.

Zufishain worked as Data Collection Associate in MPAC’s Valuation & Customer Relations unit in Pickering, and later from home. She participated in a multi-region initiative to collect and analyze third-party data and compare them to internal property data. She also developed three interactive GIS workspaces for data validation for properties abutting waterfront, green space, and education facilities.

Working during COVID-19 has taught Zufishain to adjust to the rapid changes in a professional environment, while employing essential skills learned in core GIS courses. This internship has been an excellent experience for her: “I learned about data processing within a large corporation and practiced manipulating geospatial data in a multitude of ways.” Thanks to credits completed in advance and during the placement, Zufishain is on track to complete the BA in Geographic Analysis with a Minor in Business Essentials this winter.