(Barrie, ON) – The City of Barrie’s Lobbyist Registry comes into effect on January 1, 2024, and forms part of the City of Barrie’s Accountability and Transparency framework. The registry is an online tool that documents instances of substantive communication — such as telephone calls, meetings, or emails — from a lobbyist to a City employee and/or member(s) of City Council in a centralized database that is easy to access and search by the public and interested stakeholders. Council approved the creation of a Lobbyist Registry on May 3, 2023
“Ensuring accountability and transparency is a priority for our Council,” said Mayor Alex Nuttall. “Transparency in the process of government decision-making is of extremely high importance. The integrity of the process is paramount as we as a city council continue our work on our strategic plan in the years to come.
Anyone who engages in lobbying as defined in the Lobbyist Registry By-law must register. The City of Barrie recognizes three types of lobbyists:
- Consultant lobbyist: an individual who lobbies for payment on behalf of a client (another individual, company, partnership or organization). Additionally, if the consultant lobbyist arranges for a meeting between a public office holder and a third party, that is lobbying;
- In-house lobbyist: an individual who is an employee, partner or sole proprietor and who lobbies on behalf of their own employer, business or organization; or
- Voluntary unpaid lobbyist: an individual who lobbies without payment on behalf of a business or for-profit organization for the benefit of the interests of the for-profit entity or organization. Additionally, if the voluntary unpaid lobbyist arranges a meeting between a public office holder and a third party, that is lobbying.
The Lobbyist Registry By-law requires that lobbyists record lobbying activity within ten (10) business days of the initial communication occurring. Lobbyists are asked to disclose lobbying activities by identifying the subject matter, the client for which they are lobbying, the individual they lobbied, the method of communication and the date.
For more information on the Lobbyist Registry, visit barrie.ca/LobbyistRegistry.