Many more of us will be saying yes to that after May 4, when provincial policy changes around which organizations are required to report monthly on their efforts to influence the BC government.
That’s the date when the new Lobbyists Transparency Regulations take effect. Most non-profits to this point haven’t had to register, because their lobbying activity didn’t exceed 100 hours a year. That threshold is gone as of May for any organizations with six or more employees.
Organizations with fewer than six employees and less than 50 hours a year of lobbying activity will mostly be exempt. As for the rest of us, we’ll now have to report monthly on our lobbying activities.
That broad term encompasses any interaction we have with MLAs, their staff, civil servants or officers/directors of Crown corporations if the reason for the engagement is to influence change in legislation, policy, contracts, or service delivery.
The Registrar’s office will be summarizing coming changes at the March “virtual” board meeting of Board Voice. In the meantime, browse the monthly summaries of lobbying activity to get a sense for what the reporting looks like. It actually makes for fascinating reading.
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