In this issue...

Asking for an Advisory Opinion

Lobbyists who require additional information about their obligations under the Lobbyists Registration Act, 1998, can request an Advisory Opinion from the Integrity Commissioner. 

Advisory Opinions are written opinions provided by the Commissioner in his capacity as Lobbyists Registrar and consider the specific facts of a situation and how the Act applies to them. The opinions answer questions that include an interpretation of the Act, which frontline staff cannot do. 

Common questions are about political activity, gifts for public office holders and whether a particular activity meets the definition of lobbying and requires registration. You should request an Advisory Opinion when you need an answer to a specific question about your obligations under the Act.

When submitting a request for an Advisory Opinion, you should ensure that you are providing as much pertinent information as possible, so that the Commissioner has the full scope of your circumstance and can provide you with appropriate guidance. Requests should be based on a current and real situation and not a hypothetical matter. You can request an Advisory Opinion by emailing us at lobbyist.mail@oico.on.ca.

It is important to note that an Advisory Opinion question can take time to assess depending on the complexity of the issues raised. Please submit your question as early as possible so that we have time to review your request and for the Commissioner to issue the opinion. If your issue is time sensitive, please indicate this when you submit your request. We can’t guarantee that we will be able to accommodate the request, but we will make an effort to do so.

The office has a useful resource on Advisory Opinions on our website.

Advisory Opinions

Primary Contact Training for In-house Lobbyists

Are you managing a lobbyist registration on the Ontario Lobbyists Registry for your organization or business? If so, join us for the upcoming online training sessions tailored to primary contacts for in-house lobbyist registrations.
  • Session for businesses and for-profit entities (in-house persons and partnerships):
    Tuesday, April 30, 2024
  • Session for organizations and not-for-profit entities (in-house organizations):
    Tuesday, May 14, 2024

The sessions will cover information about accounts, making changes to a profile, filing or updating a registration and much more! Part of the sessions will explore helpful tips on how to navigate the Ontario Lobbyists Registry and provide useful resources.

If you would like more information about this training session, please email us at lobbyist.mail@oico.on.ca.

Profile vs Registration

When you’re logged into the Ontario Lobbyists Registry, do you sometimes get confused about the difference between a profile and a registration? If so, try thinking of the lobbyists registry system as you would other types of online services.

For example, when you are using a social media platform, the main component is the updates you are sharing or posting that you might update frequently. A lobbyist registration is like your social media updates, though it understandably has fewer vacation photos. A registration contains the main information about what you are lobbying about, and it needs to be updated as the information changes, which could be often.

Consultant lobbyists might have several registrations – one for each client, and in-house lobbyists will only have one registration, which is always in the name of the Senior Officer*.

To update a registration, select “Change an existing registration (not a renewal)” on the main menu page. If you’re within your renewal period, you can make your updates when you renew by selecting “Renew a registration”.

Social media platforms also have a profile or account section that is about you – some of this information is public (like a bio) and some of it is not (like an email address) and it doesn’t generally change very often. This is like your registry profile – it contains information like your name, where you work and contact details – some of this will appear publicly (e.g., name, business address) and some of it won’t (e.g., phone numbers, email addresses).

For in-house registrations, the name of the Senior Officer is also part of the profile information. To update standard profile information like an address, select “Make changes to my profile” from the main menu. If the Senior Officer has changed, select “Change Senior Officer”. It’s a good idea to check your profile information from time to time to make sure it’s up to date.

We know that updating the registry isn’t as fun as updating on social media, but hopefully this comparison helped. At least the registry doesn’t have ads!

 

*The most senior paid person of the business or organization.

Reminder: Check your government funding

April 1 marks the beginning of a new fiscal year for the provincial (Ontario) and federal governments. This means you may need to update the government funding information on your registration(s).

Government funding information must be provided in the lobbyist registrations of clients or entities that receive it. The Lobbyists Registration Act, 1998 requires disclosure of the amount of the funding received from the government in the government’s previous fiscal year.

Not sure what is meant by government funding? You can consult Interpretation Bulletin #6 “How do I report government funding?”.