A Lobbyist Registry… What does it mean to you?

Thank you for your question. If a person is a member of a yacht club and is acting on behalf of the yacht club to inform the Town of the perceived benefits to the yacht club of preserving the grain towers, that person would be considered a voluntary, unpaid lobbyist. If, however, that person is communicating, without payment, but on behalf of a community organization using the Council-approved processes such as during Council or Standing Committee, or if the person is speaking on public record during a public meeting or open house, then that would not be considered lobbying under the Town's proposed by-law, and it would not need to be registered. If a person is concerned that their actions might be considered lobbying, we will welcome any questions to confirm and there is no harm in filling out the submission form on the Registry's website in any case, as the Registrar will follow up with any questions and determine if the activity in question consists of lobbying. 

Thank you for your question. You raise the important issue of the roles of Staff and Council in the face of Lobbying. Our new Lobbying By-law will list the responsibilities of the public office holder and they will include: advising lobbyists of the requirements to register with the Lobbyist Registry at the beginning of the lobbying activity; ceasing lobbying-related communication with a lobbyist who is prohibited from lobbying and reporting in a timely manner such lobbying to the Registrar; and responding and providing information in a timely manner to the Lobbyist Registrar with regards to an inquiry conducted by the Registrar.  Council must also adhere to the Code of Conduct which requires them to serve the public interest by upholding the laws and policies adopted by the Town. Staff also have to adhere to the Code of Ethical Conduct which requires them to uphold the objectives and policies of the Town. Having these Codes in place and the Accountability Officer on hand, will help to make sure that all discussions and negotiations will be monitored and transparent to the public.

Thank you for your question. A big part of this consultation will consist of education regarding lobbying activities and governments. Lobbying, when done properly, it is a legitimate, legal activity that is an important part of our democracy. Lobbying can provide decision-makers with valuable insights and data, and it gives stakeholders access to the participation in public policy development and implementation. The purpose of creating this Registry is to ensure transparency to the public regarding who is contacting decision-makers on particular matters. Lobbying legislation exists all over the world, and the goal of this legislation and the implementation of a registry is not to prevent lobbying, but to disclose it before decisions are made in order to ensure transparency. Lobbying activity is not reserved for any particular type of company. Any stakeholder, big or small, may contact a public office holder on any given matter, and if the stakeholder’s intention is to persuade decision-making and if they could benefit financially because of this communication, they will need to register.