City of Vaughan moving to introduce voluntary lobbyist registry in 2017

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 23, 2016
By Adam Martin-Robbins

Vaughan is kicking off the new year with the first phase of its plan to boost transparency and accountability at city hall.

Starting Jan. 1, anyone wishing to lobby councillors or city staff will be able to register their activities through an online portal; but it’s completely voluntary.

The move is to educate lobbyists before the implementation of a mandatory lobbyist registry expected in 2018.

Lobbyist registries are designed to provide a public record of the people who meet with senior bureaucrats and councillors to influence decision-making and to document the issues or projects they’re meeting to talk about.

Lobbyists will provide information regarding their identity, who they represent, the subject matter and which public office holders they’re lobbying.

During the voluntary period, the online portal will be reviewed, refined and, where necessary, alternative options will be explored, according to a news release.

"Trust and accountability are key priorities at the City of Vaughan,” Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said. “I championed the creation of a lobbyist registry because I believe in an open government - giving the public access to information about who is communicating with public office holders. This is a positive step forward as it demonstrates our commitment to transparency.”

To find out more, visit www.vaughan.ca/cityhall/lobbyistregistry