On September 11, the City Council of Kelowna, British Columbia established a Lobbyist Registry Council Policy.

The aim stated in the new policy, Council Policy 390 Lobbyist Registry, is to promote transparency by establishing registration and disclosure requirements for those seeking to influence a decision of council.

The council chose a policy rather than enacting a by-law.

The Policy applies to all lobbyists engaging in lobbying of a council member.

Lobbying is defined as communicating verbally or in writing, or to meet with an elected official for the purpose of influencing a decision of the council. A lobbyist is defined as an individual, whether paid or voluntary, who lobbies an elected official regarding a matter within the council’s jurisdiction.

The lobbyist may represent individual interests or represent an organization, whether employed by that organization or on behalf of a different organization.

A lobbyist must register with the city within 5 days of lobbying a council member.

Each registration is considered active for six months, after which a new registration must be filed for lobbying activities.

It is anticipated that the Lobbyist Registry will be available on the city’s website in the coming weeks.