LobbyComply Blog

Beginning on April 1 and lasting until September 30, 2026, unregistered lobbyists will not face fines for certain violations of British Columbia’s Lobbyists Transparency Act. One of the main goals of the  “temporary fine freeze” is to encourage currently unregistered lobbyists and organizations to register with the province’s Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists. In order to avail oneself of this freeze, a person or organization must not have previously received a fine from the registrar’s office, not have been registered since May 4, 2020, and must be forthcoming with the registrar’s staff about all required information to be submitted into the registry. This freeze does not apply to violations related to the prohibition on lobbying by former public office holders or for previous lobbying performed in connection with a contract for providing paid advice to the government of British Columbia or another provincial entity. The fine freeze is not available to registered lobbyists, to unregistered lobbyists that the registrar believes may have committed flagrant violations of the law, or to unregistered lobbyists attempting to use the temporary fine freeze to delay or obscure transparency.

Campaign contribution limits increased in British Columbia for 2026 to $1,513.29 for contributions to registered political parties, including their candidates, nomination contestants and registered constituency associations. Additionally, individuals can also contribute up to $1,513.29 to independent candidates and leadership contestants, if a leadership contest is called in 2025. The previous limits from 2025 were $1,484.38 and $1,450.82 in 2024. Also increased to $430 is the limit of a fee paid to attend a leadership convention or other convention of a political party without counting toward the $1,513.29 contribution limit. These contribution amounts are adjusted at the start of each calendar year.

Campaign contribution limits increased for municipalities in British Columbia for 2026 to $1,429.70 for local elections candidate or elector organization per campaign. For a local by-election held in 2026, unendorsed candidates may contribute an additional $1,429.70 to their own campaign, and a group of endorsed candidates may contribute an additional $1,429.70 in total to the campaign of the elector organization.

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On May 27, amendments to British Columbia’s Lobbyists Transparency Act come into force. The changes included in Bill 9, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act 2024, include removing requirements that requested government funding be reported, extending the due date to report received government funding, and clarifications on other existing filing requirements for coalition lobbying.

Designated filers will no longer be required to report requested government funding but will still need to report received government funding the previous 12 months. The deadline to report received government funding has been extended. A filer now has three months plus 15 days following the month in which government funding was received to report the funding. Designated filers may continue to file received government funding information monthly if they prefer to do so.

While requirements remain the same concerning coalition lobbying reporting, there are language changes for clarification. Designated Filers will be required to report the name and business address of any other client or organization who they work with for the purpose of lobbying and who has a direct interest in the outcome of the lobbying activities. When a consultant lobbyist or an organization ceases lobbying, the designated filer will have 30 days after the month in which lobbying stops to end their registration return in the Lobbyists Registry. They must submit any outstanding information that otherwise would have been submitted in a monthly return or any outstanding information on received government funding up to the date the lobbying ceased.

On February 3, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke (British Columbia) is vacant.

After 14 years as a member of parliament, Randall Garrison resigned from the seat in December because of health concerns.

Under the law, if a vacancy occurs less than nine months before the fixed date for a general election, no by-election is called and the seat remains vacant until the general election., which must take place by October 20, 2025. Therefore, no by-election will be held to fill this vacant seat.

Campaign contribution limits increased in British Columbia for 2025 to $1,484.38 for contributions to registered political parties, including their candidates, nomination contestants and registered constituency associations. Additionally, individuals can also contribute up to $1,484.38 to independent candidates and leadership contestants, if a leadership contest is called in 2025. The previous limits from 2024 were $1,450.82 and $1,401.40 in 2023. Also increased to $420 is the limit of a fee paid to attend a leadership convention or other convention of a political party without counting toward the $1,484.38 contribution limit. These contribution amounts are adjusted at the start of each calendar year.

Campaign contribution limits increased in the city of Surrey, British Columbia for 2025 to $1,402.40 for local elections candidate or elector organization per campaign. For a local by-election held in 2025, unendorsed candidates may contribute an additional $1,402.40 to their own campaign, and a group of endorsed candidates may contribute an additional $1,402.40 in total to the campaign of the elector organization. The campaign contribution limit is adjusted at the start of each calendar year.

On December 16, a federal by-election will be held for the seat in the House of Commons representing Cloverdale–Langley City in the province of British Columbia.

On June 3 , the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, had received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for Cloverdale–Langley City (British Columbia) became vacant following the resignation of John Aldag.

Aldag resigned on May 27 in order to run in a provincial election in British Columbia, which he subsequently lost.

The date for the election was not announced until November 10, which signaled the start of the by-election period.

Sometime before November 30, 2024, a by-election will be announced for the seat in the Canadian Federal House of Commons representing Cloverdale–Langley City in the province of British Columbia.

On June 3, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for Cloverdale–Langley City (British Columbia) became vacant following the resignation of John Aldag, who resigned on May 27 in order to run in the provincial elections this fall in British Columbia.

Under the law, the by-election date must be announced between June 14 and November 30, 2024, and will signal the start of the by-election period.

According to Elections Canada, the earliest date the by-election can be held is July 22, 2024.

Campaign contribution limits increased in British Columbia, Canada, for 2024 to $1,450.82 for contributions to registered political parties, including their candidates, nomination contestants and registered constituency associations.

Additionally, individuals can also contribute up to $1,450.82 to independent candidates and leadership contestants, if a leadership contest is called in 2024.

The previous limit from 2023 was $1,401.40.

Also increased to $410 is the limit of a fee paid to attend a leadership convention or other convention of a political party without counting toward the $1,450.82 contribution limit.

These contribution amounts are adjusted at the start of each calendar year.

On September 9, the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists for British Columbia (ORL) will implement a change to its online registry that will allow for streamlining the process for declaring certain coalition activities.

The change involves answering additional questions regarding whether a lobbying activity being reported was a jointly signed or endorsed letter sent on behalf of one or more of the organizations listed in the associated registration return as members of a coalition to which the organization or client belongs. Rather than being reported by each of the coalition member of a joint letter, the letter will only need to be declared once as a coalition activity and only reported once by the organization or consultant lobbyist that communicated the joint letter to senior public office holders.

According to the ORL, a change in the online lobbying activity report forms will be visible to organizations that have declared in their registration returns that the organization is a member of a coalition. The change will also be visible to consultant lobbyists when they prepare lobbying activity reports for clients, if they have declared in the associated registration return that the client belongs to a coalition.

If an organization has not declared membership in a coalition, this change does not affect them. This change also does not affect consultant lobbyists whose clients are not members of coalitions.

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia adjourned for the summer on June 17th.

The 2021 spring legislative session saw the Assembly primarily tackling issues relating to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This includes measures that would keep people safe and enable a strong economic recovery.

The Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on October 4. This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

On May 12, the British Columbia Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists released an updated guidance document concerning provincial entities.

The most prominent update concerns reporting when lobbying regional health authorities. The Office of the Registrar interprets health authorities to be government corporations as defined by the Financial Administration Act, and not just provincial entities. Lobbyists are required under the Lobbyists Transparency Act (LTA) to report all of their lobbying activity with health authorities because the LTA states that all officers, directors, and employees of government corporations are public office holders.

The guidance lists the provincial health authorities in British Columbia as the Northern Health Authority; the Interior Health Authority; the Fraser Health Authority; the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority; the Vancouver Island Health Authority; and the Provincial Health Services Authority.

The British Columbia Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists released new guidance documents this month outlining key considerations for lobbyists when declaring government funding in the Lobbyists Registry and guidance on the term “provincial entity” as it is used in the Lobbyists Transparency Act (LTA).

The LTA requires lobbyists provide information in their Registration Return about government funding, whether received or requested by their organization or client, from any government, government agency, or provincial entity in the preceding 12-month period. This is not limited to funding related to lobbying in British Columbia. Government funding includes those of any level of government, including foreign, federal, provincial, or municipal governmental entities. Non-refundable funding given in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is reportable. Now that the online Registry has been updated to permit lobbyists to declare funding, the guidance provides instructions on how to enter, remove and modify the information on a lobbyist’s report.

Similar government funding disclosure obligations are also required by federal lobbyists and lobbyists in Alberta.

The document providing guidance on the term “provincial entity” is intended to help lobbyists understand which persons working for a provincial entity are covered individuals for purposes of disclosure in lobbying reports. “Provincial entity” is specifically defined by regulation and generally refers to provincial government bodies or corporations outside core government. Provincial entities include crown corporations, school districts, public sector post-secondary institutions, such as colleges and universities, and health authorities.

As of March 30, committees of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, such as the Public Account Committee, continue to meet using videoconferencing.

Some of the committee videoconferencing is available for the public to view live on the Assembly’s website.

On March 23, lawmakers had adjourned their Spring Session to a date they have not yet determined.

Legislators will reconvene at their physical legislative building when the Speaker of the House, after consultation with the government, determines the public interest requires it or when advised by the government.