Lobbying

Lobbying refers to any communication with a Public Office Holder by an individual who is paid or represents a financial interest with the goal of influencing any legislative action including development, introduction, approval, defeat, amendment or repeal of a by-law, motion, resolution or other decision before City Council, a committee of City Council, an Advisory Committee or a member of staff acting under delegated or statutory authority.

A Lobbyist Registry is a record of individuals who lobby Public Office Holders, and a record of lobbying activities as they occur. The registry includes a list of lobbyists active in the City of Guelph, as well as a list of lobbying activities. Lobbyists are required to submit lobbying activity within 10 days of engaging in lobbying.

You can register as a lobbyist by filling out our Lobbyist Registration form.

Registering Lobbyist Activity is a two-step process:

After you have successfully completed the Lobbyist Registration form, you can file lobbying activity returns as they occur by filing a Register Lobbying Activity form. Please note lobbyists must register lobbying activity within 10 days of the activity occurring.

To register lobbying activity, you must first ensure you are registered as a lobbyist. You can register by filling out the Register as a lobbyist form. You only need to register as a lobbyist once, and you will receive account information that will allow you to file lobbying activity returns

A Public Office Holder is:

• An officer or employee of the City acting under delegated or statutory authority.
• A member of Council.
• A member of the City’s Executive Team and/or Leadership Team.
• A member of a Committee of Council or Advisory Committee.

A lobbyist is an individual who engages in lobbying, who is paid or represents a financial interest, aiming to influence legislative actions such as the development, introduction, approval, defeat, amendment, or repeal of a by-law, motion, resolution, or other decisions before City Council, its committees, advisory committees, or staff with delegated authority.

Many interactions with Public Office Holders are not considered lobbying. Some examples of activities not considered lobbying include:

• Communication in direct response to a written request from a Public Office Holder.
• Communication that occurs during a City Council or committee meeting.
• Communication that occurs as part of a public process such as a town hall meeting, public meeting or open house.
• Communication related to a request for information.
• Communication that is solely related to a compliment or a complaint regarding a service or program.
• Communication regarding the enforcement or interpretation of an act or by-law.
• Communication regarding the implementation or administration of an existing policy, program or direction.
• Communication by an applicant or an interested party regarding general information on an application, grant, planning approval, permit or license as long as the request is part of the normal course of the approval process.
• Submission of bid proposals as part of a procurement process or any communication needed for that purpose.
• Communication by a resident on a general neighbourhood or policy issue.
• Communication related to any City-initiated community engagement process.

Participating in a public meeting by delegating to City Council or sending in correspondence related to an item on an agenda, is not considered lobbying.

Providing public access to information regarding interactions between lobbyists and policymakers enables the public to understand who is influencing decision-makers and what issues are being advocated for. Informed residents can make better judgements about the policies and decisions that impact their lives, contributing to a more open and democratic culture in Guelph. While a Registry provides transparency regarding lobbying, it is worth remembering that it does not limit the amount or type of lobbying that can occur.

Financial interest is defined in the Lobbyist Registry By-law as follows:

A stake in a policy outcome that can reasonably be determined to have monetary impact, whether a dollar value can be easily determined or not.

For greater clarity, specific examples of what is and is not considered a financial interest are included below. These examples are not exhaustive and reflect only a few circumstances to help illustrate the definitions noted above.

The following examples would be considered to constitute a financial interest:

• A not-for-profit or for-profit organization communicating with a member of City Council to seek funding for a project where that funding would flow to the organization.
• A business owner communicating with a member of the City’s Executive Team seeking a regulatory change that could reasonably be expected to increase profits or reduce losses for the business.
• A vendor communicating with City staff to encourage the purchase of a new product or service where the purchase of that product or service could reasonably be expected to increase profits for the business.

The following examples would not be considered to constitute a financial interest:

A business owner communicating with a member of City Council to seek the adoption of a new policy or by-law which cannot reasonably be expected to increase profits or reduce losses for their business.

A community organization communicating with a member of City Council seeking a regulatory or programming change where the change cannot reasonably be expected to increase profits or reduce losses for the organization.