Collingwood’s new lobbyist registry received its first registration last week.
The online list was updated earlier this week to include a report of lobbying from Jared Kolb, of Proof Data Technologies.
A lobbyist is anyone who will be attempting to move an item (such as a purchase or project) forward for financial return (direct or indirect) by contacting the municipality outside of regular approval processes.
Kolb said he approached town staff on behalf of the government tech firm he works for to get an understanding of the town’s use of financial expenditure software. His company makes and sells such software to governments.
When he approached town staff, they indicated he register on the new lobbyist registry.
“I certainly recognize transparency in government is really important,” said Kolb. “A lobbyist registry helps capture the overall intentions of the private sector … I was more than happy to register … I think it was fair.”
Kolb said his work has involved several conversations with municipal staff in various sized towns and cities. He said he’s encountered some other lobbyist registries.
“I wouldn’t say it is the common rule,” he said. “I’d say it’s more the exception than the rule.”
He found more lobbyist registries in larger cities.
“The relationship between the government and vendor community is a really important one, and it’s super dynamic,” he said. “Vendors can lack information like what problems governments are trying to solve, and governments can lack information on what vendors are working on to solve problems.”
According to the town’s communications officer, Adam Ferguson, Kolb called the town to discuss his service and was directed to the procurement department.
Kolb submitted his registration on Jan. 31, 2020.
Ferguson said the town has received another registration since then and have since posted it to the online list, which is available here.
“The town will be updating the online list generally within two business days of receiving the registrations,” said Ferguson.
The lobbyist registry is still new, and Ferguson said the town will be monitoring the process closely to identify any areas for improvement and better efficiency.
“The system worked as anticipated, which is great,” said Ferguson of Kolb’s registration.
You can learn more about the lobbyist registry from the town website here.
