‘What they’d like to see’: Burlington wants input on lobbyist registry

The City of Burlington is seeking input on the future of the lobbyist registry.

In January 2022, the city launched a trial online lobbyist registry designed to document interactions between individuals who lobby members of Burlington city council. The city is now looking for public feedback on the program and is collecting responses through an online survey at www.getinvolvedburlington.ca.

The survey will be open until Feb. 6.

Kevin Arjoon, the city clerk, said input on the registry will help them improve it.

I encourage the community to share their feedback to tell us what they'd like to see to improve the lobbyist registry for the City of Burlington, including input on who should register as a lobbyist, how often, and where to make this information available to the public," said Arjoon.

Burlington distinguishes three types of lobbyists;

Consultant lobbyist - an individual who lobbies for payment on behalf of a client (another individual, a business or other entity).

In-house lobbyist - means an individual who is an employee, partner or sole proprietor, and who lobbies on behalf of his or her own employer, business or other entity.

Voluntary unpaid lobbyist - means an individual who lobbies without payment on behalf of an individual, business or other entity for the benefit of the interests of the individual, business or other entity.

A report on the future of the lobbyist registry is anticipated for early spring 2023.