Lobbyist Registry By-law, included as Attachment-1 to report 2024-294, dated July 3, 2024, be approved. That the Lobbyist Code of Conduct…

4:33:07So we are on to the lobbyist registry.

4:33:11The bylaw is now being presented from our acting general

4:33:16manager of clerks.

4:33:17I will turn it over to you, Dylan,

4:33:18and take us through how this will work.

4:33:23Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor.

4:33:24Good evening, members of council.

4:33:26It's a pleasure for me to be here today in a different chair

4:33:28than normal to present to you Guelph's lobbyist registry

4:33:31bylaw.

4:33:33The lobbyist registry is a significant addition

4:33:35to Guelph's existing transparency and accountability

4:33:37program.

4:33:38That includes right now our commitment

4:33:39to open meetings, the council code of conduct,

4:33:42the council gift registry, the declarations of pecuniary interest

4:33:45registry, the closed meeting investigator,

4:33:48and the integrity commissioner.

4:33:50Members of council will remember that we presented a lobbyist

4:33:53registry framework in April.

4:33:55The bylaw before you today is largely

4:33:57consistent with that framework with a few specific changes

4:34:00that are noted and expanded on in the report.

4:34:03Since April, we've met with stakeholders

4:34:05from the not-for-profit and the for-profit sectors

4:34:08to talk about the lobbyist registry.

4:34:11When we talked to stakeholders, there

4:34:13was one piece of feedback that was unanimous.

4:34:15It didn't matter whether you were in the not-for-profit sector

4:34:17or the for-profit, whether you loved

4:34:19the idea of a lobbyist registry or perhaps you were a little bit

4:34:22more hesitant.

4:34:24And that was if this is the direction

4:34:25that we're taking as a city, to make the lobbyist registry

4:34:28bylaw as easy to understand and implement as possible

4:34:32and to make the lobbyist registry tool as easy to use

4:34:36as possible.

4:34:37To that end, I'm really happy to be presenting what we believe

4:34:39is the simplest lobbyist registry

4:34:42in the province of Ontario.

4:34:46We've designed the registry to make the process of registering

4:34:49and filing returns as easy to understand as possible.

4:34:53And the registry tool, which is being built in-house

4:34:56by the city's IT department, is focused on making sure

4:34:59that the tool itself is user-friendly and hassle-free.

4:35:03Registering as a lobbyist in Guelph and then

4:35:05filing a return will take a couple of minutes.

4:35:07You'll be able to do it from any device, on any platform,

4:35:10anywhere you happen to be.

4:35:12We've designed the system this way

4:35:14because we know that lobbying is a feature

4:35:16of a healthy democracy, not a symptom of an unhealthy one.

4:35:20Lobbying at the local level is about residents

4:35:23having direct access to senior city staff and elected

4:35:26officials on city council.

4:35:29We've got some big issues to solve as a community,

4:35:31and we know that we need everybody working together

4:35:34to solve those issues.

4:35:35Whether it's a for-profit business, a charity,

4:35:38a not-for-profit, we don't want to limit anybody's access

4:35:41to public office holders in Guelph.

4:35:44The purpose of the registry, then,

4:35:45is not to disincentivize or limit the effectiveness

4:35:48or amount of lobbying, but to provide the public

4:35:51with transparent information, transparent access

4:35:54to information about lobbying.

4:35:56Specifically, we want to provide access to information

4:35:59where we have lobbyists lobbying for specific policy outcomes

4:36:03where they have a financial stake in those policy outcomes.

4:36:07This is actually very similar to the disclosure

4:36:10of pecuniary interest registry that council's

4:36:12already familiar with.

4:36:13When a member of council files a disclosure that goes online

4:36:17on a registry, it's publicly available and searchable,

4:36:19the lobbyist registry establishes a very similar requirement

4:36:23for lobbyists.

4:36:24The key difference being, of course,

4:36:25after a member of council files, you

4:36:27can't participate or vote on a matter.

4:36:29When a lobbyist files, it's just about transparency.

4:36:32They're welcome to keep lobbying or keep

4:36:33working toward their specific policy outcome after they file.

4:36:40The lobbyist registry itself is enforced by a lobbyist registrar.

4:36:44The registrar is responsible first and foremost

4:36:47for providing advice, education, and training

4:36:49to members of the public, potential lobbyists, to staff,

4:36:52and to members of city council.

4:36:54They also have a role to play in conducting investigations

4:36:57regarding alleged contraventions of the bylaw.

4:37:00We're very happy to be recommending the appointment

4:37:02of Suzanne Craig as a golf's lobbyist registrar.

4:37:04Miss Craig is currently the lobbyist registrar

4:37:07for the city of Vaughan and is acted as an integrity

4:37:09commissioner for more than 20 different Ontario

4:37:12municipalities.

4:37:14Pending council's approval of the bylaw

4:37:16at the end of the month, the lobbyist registry

4:37:18will come into effect on October 1 with enforcement provision

4:37:22suspended until January 1, 2025.

4:37:25Bugging in September, there'll be a communications and education

4:37:28campaign to ensure that members of the public, potential lobbyists,

4:37:32staff, and city council understand the bylaw

4:37:34and the obligations that they have under the bylaw.

4:37:38Were a violation to occur before January 2025,

4:37:42the lobbyist would simply be receiving a reminder

4:37:44from the city clerk's office with the support of the registrar

4:37:47and an offer for any support or education or training

4:37:50that might be helpful.

4:37:52That brings me to the end of my presentation,

4:37:54but I'm, of course, happy to answer any questions.

4:37:56And I do want to thank Garrett Meads and Andrew Sandor, who

4:37:59are both at the center table here,

4:38:01who played a critical role in writing this report and the bylaw.

4:38:08Well done.

4:38:11Thank you very much.

4:38:14Why don't we start with at least tabling the recommendations?

4:38:19Councillor Downer, Councillor Colassen will second.

4:38:21Lots of hands went up.

4:38:22I know.

4:38:22Even the ones I wasn't looking at.

4:38:24So we're good there.

4:38:26Is there any questions at this time?

4:38:29Nope.

4:38:30This is easy.

4:38:32Here we go.

4:38:32I'm going to call the vote.

4:38:34Is anyone against the lobbyist registry?

4:38:38unanimous.

4:38:40I'm so sorry you had to stick around for the entire thing.

4:38:45That's unanimous.

4:38:46Perfect.

4:38:47Thank you so much.

4:38:48We are on our last topic.