Lobbying front and centre at B.C.'s biggest political convention of the year

At the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, where more than a thousand politicians from across the province meet once a year, there are meetings and speeches, debates and consultations, presentations and press conferences. 

And lobbying. Lots and lots of lobbying.

"This is a place where they can come for one week and talk to more people than they could if they had a series of meetings all year," said Anna Lily, a principal at Earnscliffe Strategies, one of the many lobbying organizations arranging meetings and events this week for their clients.

"I alone have clients here that are in recycling, affordable housing development … forestry. So they all have an opportunity at a convention like this."

Lobbying takes all shapes and forms at an event like the UBCM. 

Some of the lobbying comes from formal press conferences, like the one Lily helped set up with the TransLink Mayors' Council on Tuesday to advocate for more federal funding for transit. 

Some of the lobbying is done in receptions at the end of the evening, where companies can pay for catering and a conference room in one of the many nearby hotels. 

On Tuesday night alone, there were separate events being held at the same time by Woodfibre LNG, the non-profit Housing Central, the progressive policy think tank Columbia Institute, Rogers and TransLink in a reception, and the Urban Land Institute.

Mostly, those events are low-key affairs, with a few stakeholders passing along a business card or making an elevator pitch over a beer that may or may not be complimentary.  

It bears considering which companies and organizations have the means and access to put on these sort of events. But for the most part, the most important lobbying events for mayors and councillors are the scheduled meetings with the provincial government — particularly if they're from a community where ministers usually don't spend too much time in.   

"It's super important to come down to UBCM and have these conversations," said Terrace Mayor Sean Bujtas. 

Last UBCM, Terrace was one of 21 communities in northwest B.C. that signed a memorandum of understanding with the province over sharing revenue from natural resource projects that cause significant impact in the region. 

A year later, they're lobbying the province to ensure the money starts flowing. 

"So most of our infrastructure is aging and it's starting to crumble and we don't have the money to deal with that, because we just don't have any industry directly in our community," said Bujtas.