Vancouver councillor Andrea Reimer pushes for municipal lobbyist registry

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      For the past 130 years, it's been impossible to know the identities of those paid to advocate for rezoning applications in the City of Vancouver.

      The public has no way of cross-checking whether these lobbyists pushing for projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars might also be making political donations.

      But Vision Vancouver councillor Andrea Reimer hopes to change this.

      She's introduced a notice of motion at this Tuesday's (February 21) council meeting seeking endorsement of a municipal lobbyist registry.

      Reimer wants council to submit a motion to the Lower Mainland Local Government Association asking the province "to provide municipalities with the ability to register lobbyists" and to create enforceable rules for their conduct in interactions with local politicians.

      She states in the notice of motion that B.C. "does not currently extend the legal authorities municipalities would need to enforce lobbyist rules with a local registry".

      In 2008, Surrey council approved a lobbyist registration policy.

      It required anyone to register in the clerk's office if they were lobbyists advocating for applicants for rezoning or development permits or for amendments to the official community plan.

      Five years later, this information was posted online.

      Former NPA mayoral candidate Kirk LaPointe advocated for a local lobbyists registry in 2014.
      Yolande Cole

      In 2014, NPA mayoral candidate Kirk LaPointe proposed creating a similar database in Vancouver to record all lobbying activities at the local level.

      “City Hall creates policy for Vancouver residents based on discussions with people from a variety of organizations,” LaPointe said in a news release at the time. “The public has the right to know who they are and what they’re talking about.”

      Reimer's notice of motion points out that Surrey's lobbyist registration is "voluntary" and only covers "a limited set of lobbying activities".

      Nevertheless, Reimer still wants council to ask staff to investigate Surrey's registry. This would include examining "costs, impacts and any information on what informed their decision to have a limited set of lobbyists included in the registry".

      Attorney General Suzanne Anton saw no need for asking the province for lobbying-enforcement powers when she sat on Vancouver city council.
      Stephen Hui

      In 2008 prior to Reimer's election to council, NPA and Vision Vancouver politicians all voted against asking the provincial government to amend the Vancouver Charter to permit enforcement of a lobbyist policy.

      It came after Coun. Raymond Louie had raised concerns about the city asking for authority to create a lobbyist registry without knowing the operational costs. He wanted the province to pick up the tab.

      Louie introduced an amendment to ask staff to gather information on the costs before going to the province for a change to the Vancouver Charter, but that was defeated by the NPA majority.

      Then NPA councillor Suzanne Anton advanced the motion not to ask the province for the charter change. She's now attorney general, which makes her the chief legal adviser to the B.C. government.

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