Related pages: [ Meet the Lobbyist Registrar ]
[ A short history of the Registry ] [ Regulating lobbyists' conduct ]
About us
The Office of the Lobbyist Registrar of the City of Toronto maintains the first public, online municipal lobbyist registry in Canada and regulates the conduct of lobbyists in the City.
The Lobbyist Registrar is one of the City's four accountability officers. She performs her duties in an independent manner and is accountable to Council. (Chapter 3, Accountability Officers, of the Toronto Municipal Code (PDF) sets out the policy and administrative framework for the Accountability Officers of the City of Toronto. Article IV deals with the Lobbyist Registrar.) To learn more about the Lobbyist Registrar, please click Meet the Registrar.
The mandate of the Lobbyist Registrar and rules governing lobbying at the City are found in the Lobbying By-law (Chapter 140, Lobbying, of the Toronto Municipal Code) (PDF) .
The regulation of lobbying the City government's public office holders is based on the following principles.
- The City government's duty to make decisions in the public interest should not be impeded.
- Open and unfettered access to City government is a vital aspect of local democracy.
- Lobbying public office holders is a legitimate activity.
- Public office holders and the public should be able to know who is attempting to influence City government.
- Public disclosure of lobbying activity and standards of conduct for lobbyists are important to the integrity of City government decision making.
- A system for the registration of lobbying activity and the regulation of the conduct of lobbyists should not impede access to the City government.
To learn more about how the Registry came into being, please see A short history of the Registry.
What we do
We promote and enhance the integrity of the City's decision making by displaying lobbying activities to the public and regulating lobbyists' conduct. (For an introduction to lobbying, please see The basics.)
We serve the general public, lobbyists and public office holders by providing the following functions and activities.
The Registry
We maintain an online registry of lobbyists and lobbying activities that may be searched by anyone at anytime.
Advice and interpretation
We provide guidance, opinions and interpretation of the Lobbying By-law to anyone who needs it. One way we do this is by issuing interpretation and advisory bulletins, which we post on this site. Contact us by phone or email for more information.
Education and outreach
We strive to make the lobbying process more efficient and open. We help lobbyists work through the registration process, advise public office holders on how to respond to violations of the By-law, and help the public search the Registry efficiently.
Visit our tutorial page for video instructions on how to register and update your lobbyist and subject matter registrations
Regulating lobbyists' conduct
We ensure that lobbyists comply with the Registry system and Code of Conduct. We review, verify and approve or refuse registrations, to ensure they comply with the By-law (PDF) . We may revoke, remove or suspend a registration where the lobbyist does not comply with registration requirements.
The Lobbyist Registrar conducts investigations or inquiries to determine if violations of the By-law have occurred. She may report to Council or lay a charge under the Provincial Offences Act.
Click here for more information on regulating lobbyists' conduct.
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