THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF PEEL LOBBY REGISTRY AND INTEGRITY COMMISSIONER COMMITTEE AGENDA LRICC - 1/2015 DATE: November 26, 2015 TIME: LOCATION: MEMBERS: 8:30 AM 9:30 AM Regional Council Chamber, 5th Floor 10 Peel Centre Drive, Suite A Brampton, Ontario F. Dale; J. Downey; G. Gibson; J. Innis; M. Medeiros; G. Miles; K. Ras; P. Saito 1. ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIR 2. DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 4. DELEGATIONS 5. REPORTS 5.1. Establishment of the Lobby Registry and Integrity Commissioner Committee 6. COMMUNICATIONS 7. IN CAMERA MATTERS 8. OTHER BUSINESS 9. NEXT MEETING To be determined.
10. ADJOURNMENT LRICC - 1/2015-2- November 26, 2015
4.1-1 REPORT Meeting Date: 2015-11-26 Lobby Registry and Integrity Commissioner Committee DATE: November 18, 2015 REPORT TITLE: FROM: ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LOBBY REGISTRY AND INTEGRITY COMMISSIONER COMMITTEE Lorraine Graham-Watson, Commissioner of Corporate Services RECOMMENDATION That the Terms of Reference for the Lobby Registry and Integrity Commissioner Committee (LRICC) as outlined in Appendix I to the report of the Commissioner of Corporate Services titled Establishment of the Lobby Registry and Integrity Commissioner Committee be approved; And further, that Members of the Committee be appointed for a term ending upon completion of the mandate of the Committee (or at the end of the current term of Council, whichever comes first); And further, that the next meeting of the Committee be scheduled for January 21, 2016, time to be determined; And further, that staff invite delegations from government agencies that have implemented or are in the process of implementing a Lobby Registry system to make a presentation at the February 18, 2016 Lobby Registry and Integrity Commissioner Committee meeting. REPORT HIGHLIGHTS The report titled Peel Regional Council Code of Conduct Integrity Commissioner with an accompanying follow up report and the report titled Establishment of the Lobby and Gift Registry were presented at the September 24, 2015 Regional Council meeting which recommended that a Request for Proposal (RFP) be prepared to retain an Integrity Commissioner who would serve as both the Integrity Commissioner and the Lobby and Gift Registrar At the September 24, 2015 Regional Council meeting, Council struck a Committee to further review the retention of the Integrity Commissioner and the establishment of Lobby and Gift Registries, and referred the three aforementioned reports to the newly established Committee Attached as Appendix I is the Terms of Reference for the establishment of the Lobby and Gift Registry and Integrity Commissioner Committee
4.1-2 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LOBBY REGISTRY AND INTEGRITY COMMISSIONER COMMITTEE DISCUSSION 1. Background The Peel Regional Council Code of Conduct was adopted on June 26, 2014 and came into effect at the Inaugural Meeting of Regional Council on December 4, 2014. Regional staff was directed to report back to Regional Council with a Code of Conduct implementation plan. An implementation plan was presented at the July 9, 2015 Council meeting recommending that a Request for Proposal (RFP) be prepared to retain an Integrity Commissioner. The report titled Peel Regional Council Code of Conduct Integrity Commissioner was deferred for further information regarding the employment terms, cost and other options available regarding the appointment of an Integrity Commissioner. Further, at the July 9, 2015 Regional Council meeting, Resolution 2015-596 was unanimously passed to establish a Lobby Registry, Gift Registry and for the appointment of a Registrar. The report titled Peel Regional Council Code of Conduct Integrity Commissioner with an accompanying follow up report to address the concerns raised at the July 9, 2015 Regional Council meeting, was presented at the September 24, 2015 Regional Council meeting along with the report titled Establishment of the Lobby and Gift Registry. The reports recommended that a RFP be prepared to retain an Integrity Commissioner who would serve as both the Integrity Commissioner and the Lobby and Gift Registrar. Regional Council discussed the reports and some of the key issues raised included: the definition of a lobbyist and lobbying; the use of the Integrity Commissioner to perform a dual role, including the Lobby/Gift Registrar function, in the Cities of Hamilton, Ottawa and Toronto; information and insight that area municipalities could provide, such as the City of Brampton, that is in the process of creating a lobby registry; review of the Federal and Provincial lobbying procedures and registry process; whether the intent of a gift should be defined or whether a dollar value of a gift should be disclosed. Following the discussion, Council struck a Committee (Resolution 2015-689) to further review the retention of the Integrity Commissioner and the establishment of Lobby and Gift Registry and referred the three aforementioned reports to the Committee. Councillors Downey, Gibson, Innis, Medeiros, Miles, Ras, Saito and Chair Dale (ex-officio) were appointed to the Committee. Attached as Appendix I is the Terms of Reference for the Lobby/Gift Registry and Integrity Commissioner Committee. 2. Proposed Direction It is proposed that the next Committee meeting be held on February 18, 2016 and that staff members from the City of Brampton and other government agencies be invited to delegate on implementation of a Lobby Registry program. As well, Regional staff will provide further information from other municipalities that also have a Lobby Registry to address some of the issues raised. This will allow the Committee to provide instruction on the direction to be taken. In addition, the committee will also consider the approach to establishing a gift registry as well as the retention of an Integrity Commissioner. - 2 -
4.1-3 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LOBBY REGISTRY AND INTEGRITY COMMISSIONER COMMITTEE A follow up meeting will be scheduled for April 21, 2016 to provide a draft report on what is being proposed for the Region of Peel and to provide opportunity for the Committee s review and comments. A final report will be presented to the Committee with recommendations to be forwarded to Regional Council for approval. Lorraine Graham-Watson, Commissioner of Corporate Services Approved for Submission: D. Szwarc, Chief Administrative Officer APPENDICES Appendix I Terms of Reference For further information regarding this report, please contact Kathryn Lockyer, Regional Clerk and Director of Clerk's, ext 4325, kathryn.lockyer@peelregion.ca. Authored By: Helena West, Legislative Specialist - 3 -
4.1-4 Establishment of the Lobby Registry and Integrity Commissioner Committee Appendix I TERMS OF REFERENCE Lobby Registry and Integrity Commissioner Committee (LRICC) Mandate: The Committee shall review and provide input on the development and implementation of a Lobby Registry and a Gift Registry. The Committee shall review and provide input on the process to retain an Integrity Commissioner and a Lobby Registrar. Membership: The Committee is to be comprised of members including the Regional Chair (ex-officio), and Councillors Downey, Gibson, Innis, Medeiros, Miles, Ras and Saito. Roles and Responsibilities of Members: The Committee will be tasked to: 1. Review and make recommendations on the development and implementation of a Lobby Registry and a Gift Registry. 2. Make recommendations on the retention of an Integrity Commissioner and a Lobby Registrar. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair: The Committee will elect from among its members a Chair and Vice-Chair, and this election shall be held at the first meeting of the Committee. The Committee shall elect a Vice-Chair who may act in the capacity of Chair and exercise all the rights, powers and authorities of the Chair when the Chair is absent through illness or otherwise, or is absent from the office in the course of his or her duties, or on vacation or on an approved leave. Quorum: Quorum will consist of the majority of the total number of members on the Committee. Reporting Structure: The Committee will report to Regional Council through the Enterprise Programs and Services section. The minutes of each Committee meeting will be placed on the next available Regional Council Agenda for approval. Term of Appointment: Members of the Committee shall be appointed for a term ending upon completion of the mandate of the Committee or at the end of the current term of Council, whichever comes first.
4.1-5 Establishment of the Lobby Registry and Integrity Commissioner Committee Appendix I Frequency of Meetings: The Committee will host meetings as required. Staff Resources: The Committee will be supported by staff from the Office of the Regional Clerk, the office of Strategic Public Policy and External Relations and Legal Services.