Who is the Lobbyist Registrar?

The Lobbyist Registrar is one of the City of Toronto's four statutory accountability officers. Two of the Lobbyist Registrar's duties are to maintain the Lobbyist Registry, which is an online, searchable record of all lobbyists and their activities, and to enforce the Code of Conduct and other provisions of the Lobbyist By-law that regulate lobbyists' conduct.

For more information, please see About us.

Is the Lobbyist Registrar independent?

The Lobbyist Registrar performs her duties independently. She reports to City Council, not through the City's administration.

How does the Lobbyist Registry serve the general public?

The Lobbyist Registry allows the public to see who is communicating with public office holders about governmental decisions—decisions that can affect you directly as a citizen of Toronto. For more information, please see How do we serve the general public?.

Who can search the Registry?

Anyone can search the Registry at any time through this website.
(Tips for searching the Registry)

If you need help with your search, please contact us. One of our Lobbyist Registry Advisors would be pleased to help.

What can I search by?

You can use a keyword search, which will return all entries containing at least one of the words entered. You can filter your search by narrowing the lobbying classification, selecting only open or closed registrations, or shortening the date range.

The Registry also allows you to start your search by viewing lists of information under various categories, from in-house lobbyists to businesses and organizations to levels of government that provided funding. If you select an entry from one of these lists, it will appear in the keyword field and you'll begin your search with that entry. (Please note: selecting an entry does not filter results—it only populates the keyword search filed. Be sure to add quotation marks yourself for more precise searches.)

You can also search by lobbyist name, public office holder, and subject matter.

All search results are by subject matter registration. For each subject matter registration, you'll be able to see the registration number, the lobbyist, the subject matter, the public office holders communicated, the approval date and the current status.

For more details, click the subject matter number and you'll see the organizations involved, their contact information, and other information stored in the Registry.

For more information on searching, please see Tips for searching the Registry.

What is lobbying?

Lobbying is communicating with a public office holder about decisions the City government may make on subject areas (PDF). For a more detailed description, please see The basics.

What does "communicating" mean?

The By-law defines communication as "any form of expressive contact, and includes oral, written and electronic communication."

Who is a public office holder?

Public office holder refers to more than elected officials such as the Mayor and Councillors and their staff. It also includes employees of the City of Toronto, members and staff of some local boards and some other appointees.

For a more detailed description, please see The basics.

What activities are not lobbying?

Not all communication with public office holders is lobbying. For example, citizens likely aren't lobbying when talking with their ward Councillors about neighbourhood or community issues. Similarly, following City processes for filing applications or submitting proposals is not lobbying, nor is speaking at public meetings on the topic of the meeting.

Are requests for information considered lobbying?

No. Simply requesting information and responding to written requests for information are not lobbying; however, communication that is lobbying could result from information requests and responses. For more information, please see our interpretation bulletin on Consultations. (PDF)

A Councillor has asked to meet with me. Do I have to register as a lobbyist?

If lobbying occurs at the meeting—even if a public office holder requested the meeting—it has to be registered.

For more information on what is and isn't lobbying, please see The basics.

Do I need to register if I attend a meeting at the request of a public office holder, the subject of which is a complaint the public office holder wishes to express to me on his/her own behalf or on behalf of his/her ward constituents?

No, as long as the comments are confined to complaints or compliments and nothing falling within the definition of lobbying is discussed or advanced.

When can't I lobby?

You can't lobby about an active procurement process. You can't lobby during public or charitable events or other similar public gatherings. (Click here (PDF) for more information on the procurement process.) You can't lobby if you don't have an approved subject matter registration.

Do informal gatherings of lobbyists and public office holders need to be registered?

Simply gathering together is not lobbying, so it doesn't need to be registered. (Please note: you can't lobby during public or charitable events or other similar public gatherings.) Lobbying during an informal gathering is only permitted if it's registered.

What do I have to do before I can lobby?

Before lobbying a public office holder, you must register as a lobbyist and register a subject matter. Please see Before you register for more information.

Who is a lobbyist? Who isn't a lobbyist?

When trying to decide if someone is a lobbyist use the following points for guidance:

• Do they represent an individual or organization in a business, industry or profession? If yes, are they communicating with public office holders about decisions on matters (see listed subject areas) (PDF) that may be made by City government? If so, then they are likely lobbyists.
• Are they citizens communicating about neighbourhood issues? Or are they not-for-profit community services? If yes to either, then they likely are not considered lobbyists.

Some groups are exempt from the Lobbying By-law. Here is a list of exemptions.

I'm being paid to lobby on behalf of an exempt group. Do I still have to register?

Yes. Consultant lobbyists need to register even when representing exempt groups, such as not-for-profit community service sector organizations or other levels of government.

Which type of lobbyist am I? Consultant, in-house or voluntary unpaid?

Your position and your relationship to the person, company or organization that has an interest in the subject matter determine which type of lobbyist you are.

You'll likely be an in-house lobbyist, unless you're being paid to represent someone else's interests (other than your employer's). To be certain, though, please see the information on consultant, in-house and voluntary unpaid lobbyists in The basics. If you're still not clear, please contact us; we would be pleased to help.

My job in sales involves trying to win government contracts. Am I a lobbyist?

As a guideline: If you try to sell something to the City (beyond simply following the procurement process) or your communication aims at creating an environment favourable to your winning a City contract, you are lobbying.

Simply submitting bids as part of a procurement process is not lobbying. Lobbying about an active City procurement process is prohibited. (You should always check with a local board about its procurement process.)

If you lobby on behalf of your company, you must be registered as a lobbyist before you can lobby.

Can I be classified as more than one type of lobbyist?

Yes. Certain circumstances will require you to have more than one lobbyist registration.

Depending on your activities, your position, and for whom you're lobbying, you may need to have separate registrations with different classifications (consultant, in-house, voluntary unpaid) or even more than one registration of the same classification (e.g., distinct in-house registrations).

We provide two scenarios below that you may find helpful. If you need more guidance, please contact us.

Please note:

• You can't change the classification of a registration. For example, if you switch from an in-house to a consultant lobbyist, you must update and close your in-house registration and register a new consultant registration.
• Consultant lobbyists can represent multiple clients under one lobbyist registration. (You can't lobby for competing interests on the same subject matter unless you have written consent from both acknowledging your dual role.)

Here are the scenarios:

Scenario 1: Consultant and voluntary unpaid registrations

You work for a PR firm in Toronto and routinely lobby the City on behalf of your clients, which is why you are registered as a consultant lobbyist. You are also a shareholder in a public development company that wants to have the zoning changed for a piece of land it owns. If you wanted to discuss the company's zoning application with a public office holder outside the approved channels, you would need to register as a voluntary unpaid lobbyist.

Scenario 2: Two separate in-house registrations

You work for a company and you're already registered as an in-house lobbyist under the company's lobbyist registration. You also own a small business on the side and need to lobby the City in your capacity as a business owner. To lobby, you would need a separate in-house lobbyist registration for your small business.