Push for city hall lobbyist registry falls flat in Tuesday evening council meeting
CBC
A push by two rookie city councillors to create a public registry outlining who is attempting to influence legislators failed to garner enough support in its first appearance in the council chambers, Tuesday evening.
A motion to have city staff come back to council with a report on the feasibility, expenses, and purpose of implementing a municipal lobbyist registry fell short in a 5-to-9 vote after some debate.
"To me, this is a solution in search of a problem," said Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis, who voted against the motion. "This is just political theatre."
That motion, brought forward and seconded by councillors David Ferreira and Skylar Franke, came with a letter penned by the two outlining a case for establishing a registry. It cited a lack of public trust in municipal politicians, similar systems in other municipalities, and the lacklustre levels of public participation in municipal politics in London.
In the opinion of Lewis, those issues are either overblown or misunderstood.
He told council that many municipalities cited as having lobbyist registries have voter turnout levels similar to London, which Lewis used as an argument against the idea that it would increase voter turnout, participation, and faith in institutions.
Another issue for Lewis and other councillors, like Coun. Steve Lehman, had to do with defining lobbying.
"I was at the Knights game on Saturday night and Jim Graham from the London Air Show was there," said Lewis, who also argued that the city already has an integrity commissioner to turn to for issues of accountability and potential corruption. "Well, do I now need to fill out a form to give to our staff to say that I was lobbied?"
On top of that, councillors against the motion cited concerns over the funding required to pay the registrar who would be in charge of the system.
Arguments in support of the motion primarily came from Ferreira, Franke, and Coun. Sam Trosow.
"This is not red tape. This is clear tape.This is the type of tape that we need," said Ferreira during Tuesday's debate. "This is the type of tape that will allow individuals to be able to see into the city."
A lobbyist registry would serve only to increase public trust in municipal politicians and processes, according to Ferreira. Admitting there is some uncertainty on how processes related to reporting and recording lobbying might work, he said staff would be responsible for answering those questions.
"Given the recent issues we've seen at the provincial level with lobbyists in the Greenbelt, I'm not totally surprised [at a lack of trust]," said Franke. "This is simply just a report from staff to understand what the cost and process would be."
According to one expert, a lobbyist registry would do more to incentivize lobbyists to act according to provincial law rather than keeping councillors in check.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.
It’s been hard to keep track of how many legal challenges and active court proceedings the United Conservative government has tried to quash or pre-emptively block in the last six weeks, but let’s try to tally:
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.