Kelowna lawmakers support creation of lobbyist registry

Bureaucrats at city hall will begin work on establishing a lobbyist registry for the city of Kelowna, a key hallmark of Mayor Tom Dyas’ election campaign.

The motion, introduced by Dyas, passed unanimously among lawmakers.

“It is with the best intentions of complete transparency,” Dyas said.

A registry would require developers, residents’ groups, or anyone seeking to influence government decision-making to publicly note it in an online register. This will include any community or union groups, too.

The list would allow the public to see who is, and how often they are, in the ear of elected officials, and a general overview of what was discussed.

The registry would not limit councillors from, say, weekly coffee meetings with citizens or require them to log every side or casual conversation they have in the city.

Councillors welcomed the move, pointing to openness and transparency, as well as limiting lawmakers from doubling up on conversations.

As it stands, Surrey is the lone municipality in British Columbia with a lobbyist registry. However, several other cities in Canada have them, like Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Brampton, and Vaughan.

Lobbyist registries exist at both the provincial and federal levels in Canada, too.

It’s anticipated a report on the registry will come before lawmakers in the first few months of 2023.