Search the Lobbyist Registry

Access to a Walk-in Kiosk is available to the public from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm for the purpose of searching the public registry or completing a registration.

Lobbyist Registry Advisors are also available Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm by telephone at 416-338-5858 or by email at lobbyistregistrar@toronto.ca for information or assistance.

Search results are by subject matter registration

You can search the Registry for a variety of information, but all searches will show results by subject matter registration number. This means you’ll only be able to see information that’s related to an approved subject matter registration.

For example, if someone completed a lobbyist registration but doesn’t have an approved subject matter registration, that person will not appear in any search results.

For each subject matter registration your search returns, you’ll be able to see the registration number, the lobbyist, the subject matter, the current status of the registration, the public office holders lobbied, the dates of communications and the methods of communications used to lobby. Click on the subject matter registration number to open the registration.

Keyword search

The “Search for” area allows you to search for a key word or phrase. You can filter your search by narrowing the lobbying classification, selecting only open or closed registrations, or shortening the date range.

A keyword search will return all subject matter registrations that contain at least one word entered, no matter where the information appears. This means that adding a word to the search could return more results, not fewer, unless you use quotation marks.

When looking for exact phrases, put the phrase in quotation marks.

Using a list to begin a search

Under “List of”, you’ll see links to a variety of categories of information stored in the Registry. Each link will take you to a list of all the entries for that category.

If you click Business / Organization, for example, you’ll see a list of all the businesses and organizations that have in-house lobbyists registered.

By clicking on an entry in one of these lists, the name appears in the search field under “Search for”. You can then conduct your search using that entry.

Please note: selecting an entry does not conduct a search or filter results in any way. It only populates the keyword search field. To make this search efficient, add quotation marks around the entry.

Tips for searching the Registry

• For precise searches, ensure multi-word entries appear in quotation marks. Even if you select an entry from a list, be sure to add the quotation marks in the search field yourself.
• For broad results, make sure “Lobbyist:” and “Current registration:” are set to All.
• Using lists to begin a search will show you exactly how information appears in the Registry, so you won’t have to worry about spelling correctly in a keyword search. (But be sure to add quotation marks yourself before searching.)
• When you select an entry from a list, the default search setting will show only active registrations. To also see registrations that have closed, switch the “Current registration:” from “Active” to “All”.
• You may not recognize a company’s official name. When looking through a list, browse the other trade names, as well.
• Using the “Other Searches” options on the search screen will allow you to search by lobbyist name (first or last), subject matter, or public office holders being lobbied. Please note that you can’t filter these searches.