On March 27, the city of Pickering, in Ontario, Canada, passed a new lobbying law and will become the 10th municipality in Ontario to have a lobbyist registry framework in place. This by-law authorizing a lobbyist registry for the city technically came into force with its passage, but all enforcement and penalties will not take effect until November 1, 2023.

All lobbyists must file a registration (a first filing of a return) regarding lobbying communication within ten business days of the initial communication occurring. A lobbyist must file a return updating any change to their registration immediately. Lobbying is defined as “any communication with a public office holder by an individual who is paid or who represents a business or financial interest with the goal of trying to influence any legislative action including development, introduction, passage, defeat, amendment or repeal of a bylaw, motion, resolution or the outcome of a decision on any matter before council, a committee of council, or a staff member acting under delegated authority.”

The list of covered public office holders includes members of the city council, officers or employees of the city in management positions, members of local boards or committees established by the city council, and individuals providing professional services to the city during the course of providing such services.

The mandatory registry applies to consultant lobbyists, in-house lobbyists, and certain voluntary lobbyists. Lobbying on a contingency basis is prohibited. Former public office holders are forbidden from lobbying for a period of 12 months after leaving office. Penalties include being barred from lobbying for various periods of time. Additionally, all lobbyists must adhere to a formal Code of Conduct for Lobbyists, which is part of the by-law, during all lobbying activities with public office holders.

Campaign contribution limits have increased in the province of Ontario, Canada for 2023.

In a calendar year, a person individually may contribute $3,350 to each party, to each constituency association and nominations contestants of a party, and to each leadership contestant of a party.

Additionally, in a campaign period, a person may contribute $3,350 to each candidate of a party, and to each independent non-party candidate.

The total contribution made with respect to a single fundraising event by a contributor may not exceed $3,350 multiplied by the indexation factor.

The previous contribution limits from 2022 were $3,350.

Sometime before November 26, 2022, a by-election will be announced for the seat in the House of Commons representing Mississauga–Lakeshore in the province of Ontario.

On May 30, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for Mississauga–Lakeshore (Ontario) became vacant following the resignation of Sven Spengemann. Spengemann officially resigned from his seat in the House of Commons on May 28 in order to work for the United Nations.

Under the law, the by-election date must be announced between June 10 and November 26, 2022, 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 18, 2022.

Sometime in January of 2022, the city of Burlington, Ontario, Canada expects to have its new electronic Lobbyist Registry webpage available to the public.

The city’s new lobbying law, passed on October 19, 2021, requires consultant lobbyists, in-house lobbyists, and voluntary unpaid lobbyists to file a registration with the City Clerk within 10 days after entering into an undertaking to lobby. Only one registration needs to be filed for each undertaking even though a lobbyist may, in connection with the undertaking, communicate or arrange meetings with more than one public office holder on more than one occasion.

The new legislation defines lobbying as meaning any communication with a public office holder by an individual who represents a business or financial interest with the goal of trying to influence legislative action. In turn, the law defines legislative action as the development, introduction, passage, defeat, amendment or repeal of a bylaw, motion, resolution, or the outcome of a decision on any matter before the City Council or a Committee of the Council.

A lobbyist is required to file a return updating any change in their registration within 10 business days of the change taking place. The subject matter registration will be closed once lobbying is complete or within 12 months of the lobbying commencing, whichever is sooner.

A lawsuit alleging the Ontario Integrity Commissioner failed to properly penalize offenders of the Lobbyist Registration Act (LRA) was dismissed by a Divisional Court in November.

Sometime after March 20, 2022, a hearing for an appeal of this decision filed by the plaintiffs, Democracy Watch, should be heard.

Nine lobbyists found to violate the LRA were not penalized and did not challenge the rulings. Hence, their identities were never made public. Six of those lobbyists lobbied for over a year before registering. Three other lobbyists were found to have lobbied Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his cabinet in violation of a section of the LRA prohibiting the creation of a real or potential conflict of interest through lobbying.

The Divisional Court found insufficient serious legal issues were alleged to create standing to make the judicial application. Additionally, the Court found Democracy Watch’s application for judicial review conflicted with the privacy of the nine lobbyists.

On June 8, an Ontario, Canada Superior Court judge struck down a section of the province’s Election Finances Act that mandated a 12-month pre-election period restricting third party advertising.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward M. Morgan’s decision, Working Families Ontario v. Ontario, explicitly holds that the period will no longer be in effect. The restricted pre-election spending period of 12 months had a $600,000 limit on third-party political advertisement expenditures.

Judge Morgan found the law was unconstitutional and a violation of the “freedom of expression” for the parties suing the province.

As noted by the judge in his decision, the next election in Ontario is scheduled to take place on June 2, 2022, already within the 12-month restricted period for political advertisements under the section being stricken. Judge Morgan wrote, “It would be unfair to the Applicants (and to other potential third-party political advertisers) for statutory provisions that have been declared unconstitutional to remain in operation during this time.” He found the burden of addressing the issue should remain on the legislature to craft an appropriate and constitutional provision.

On June 3, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario adjourned for the summer.

Bill 162, Public Accountability and Lobbyist Transparency Act, 2020, has remained in committees since March of 2020.

Changes the legislation could bring include requiring any member of the Executive Council who has been lobbied by, or otherwise met with, a consultant or in-house lobbyist to file a report about the lobbying or meeting with the registrar not later than 30 days after the lobbying or meeting took place.

This Act would come into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

The Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on September 13.

Sometime before November 16, 2021, a by-election will be announced for the seat in the House of Commons representing Haldimand–Norfolk in the province of Ontario.

On May 20, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for Haldimand–Norfolk (Ontario) became vacant following the resignation of Diane Finley. On May 11, Finley resigned from her seat in the House of Commons, explaining she was leaving on the same date of the death of her late husband, Senator Doug Finley. “It just seems fitting and symbolic that I also end my service and exit politics on the same date,” explained MP Finley in her press release.

Under the law, the by-election date must be announced between May 31 and November 16, 2021, 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 12, 2021.

On April 19, a campaign finance bill in Ontario concerning contribution limits, political activities, and voting processes received Royal Assent.

Bill 254, the Protecting Ontario Elections Act, 2021, allows individuals to make contributions in an amount up to $3,300 per calendar year or campaign period to party and non-party candidates, leadership contestants, constituency associations, nomination contestants of a party or a constituency association of an independent member, and any one registered party. That amount will increase by $25 for each calendar year beginning on January 1, 2022.

Bill 254 enhances the law concerning collusion with third parties. Contributions from one third party to another third party for the purposes of political advertising are deemed as part of the expenses of the contributing third party.

Additionally, a third party is prohibited from trying to circumvent the rules and spending limits by splitting itself into two or more third parties, acting in collusion with another third party so that combined political advertising expenses exceed the applicable limit, and colluding with, including sharing information with, a registered party, registered constituency association, registered candidate, registered leadership contestant, or registered nomination contestant or any of their agents or employees for the purpose of circumventing the limit.

The Municipal Elections Act, 1996, is amended to provide that a registered third party may withdraw their registration by filing a written withdrawal in the clerk’s office during the time for filing a notice of registration.

The bill also allows independent members of the Assembly to endorse constituency associations, mandates the Chief Electoral Officer establish an advisory committee on voting equipment and vote counting equipment, and codifies certain administrative penalties.

On February 25, a bill was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to increase the province’s contribution limits and make other changes to its election laws.

Bill 254, Protecting Ontario Elections Act, 2021, as introduced by Attorney General Doug Downey, proposes to amend the Election Act, the Election Finances Act, the Members’ Integrity Act, 1994, and the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.

Some of the changes in the bill include increasing contribution limits made to individual registered parties, party and non-party candidates, leadership candidates, constituency associations and nomination contestants of any one party or to the constituency association of any independent member. That amount increases from $1,650 to $3,300 per calendar year, with an increase of $25 for each calendar beginning on January 1, 2022.

Additionally, when selling a ticket for a fund-raising event, all, or any portion of its cost up to a maximum of $30, may be considered not to be a political contribution.

The time period on limiting third party advertisers’ spending would increase from six months to 12 months before an election. The proposed legislation also includes penalties for violations, allows members of the Assembly to endorse constituency associations, establishes the allowance of certain candidate electronic filings for municipalities, directs the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to establish an advisory committee on voting equipment and vote counting equipment, and expands powers of the CEO with respect to designating advance polls.

The bill also allows members of the Assembly to explicitly use social media for any matters a member wishes to bring to the attention of the public, including partisan matters.

Sometime before February 28, 2021, a by-election will be announced for the seat in the House of Commons representing York Centre in the province of Ontario.

On September 1, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for York Centre (Ontario) became vacant following the resignation of Michael Levitt, who left his seat to become the CEO of the Canadian Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies.

Under the law, the by-election date must be announced between September 12, 2020, and February 28, 2021, and will signal the start of the by-election period. According to Elections Canada, the earliest date the by-election can be held is October 19, 2020.

Sometime before February 20, 2021, a federal by-election will be announced for the seat in the House of Commons representing Toronto Centre in the province of Ontario.

On August 24, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for Toronto Centre (Ontario) became vacant following the resignation of Bill Morneau.

On August 17, amid controversies dealing with his involvement with the WE Charity scandal, Morneau resigned from his seat in the House of Commons and as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s finance minister. Morneau intends to seek the position of secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, according to CBC.ca.

Under the law, the by-election date must be announced between September 4, 2020, and February 20, 2021, and will signal the start of the by-election period. According to Elections Canada, the earliest date the by-election can be held is October 12, 2020.

On October 5, the city of Ottawa will hold a byelection to fill the municipal council seat left vacant by Stephen Blais.

The vacant Cumberland ward seat held by Blais, who left to serve as the Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Orléans, could have been filled by an appointment made by the council itself.

While Blais was elected as MPP in February, the council held off deciding about whether to have an election or make an appointment because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, the Ottawa Council agreed to allow voters the choice to fill the seat.

For the first time, electors will be allowed to apply to vote by special mail-in ballot should they feel uncomfortable about voting in person or be unable to make it to a voting location.

At 1:00 p.m. on March 19, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario will meet in an emergency sitting to address the coronavirus pandemic.

The parliament is on a scheduled recess but is meeting to try and pass legislation related to dealing with the COVID-19 virus.

Following Ontario health officials’ recommendations of social distancing, lawmakers are planning on only 24 of the 124 members to actually be present in the legislative building, according to iPolitics.