Temporary Fine Freeze

Between April 1 and September 30, 2026, the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists will temporarily pause fines for certain violations of the LTA for unregistered organizations and consultant lobbyists that fall within the framework described below. This means that currently unregistered organizations and consultant lobbyists may register their lobbying activity without risk of a fine.

The purpose of this temporary “fine freeze” is to increase transparency in lobbying by helping unregistered organizations, non-profits and consultant lobbyists understand their legal obligations and to onboard them with the registration process. 

The temporary fine freeze does not remove any of the LTA’s requirements. Those subject to the Act must still adhere to the appropriate deadlines and requirements during the temporary fine freeze. The Registrar is not extending the fine freeze to registered organizations or consultant lobbyists, nor will it be extended to unregistered organizations or consultant lobbyists that may have committed flagrant violations of the LTA or attempted to use the temporary fine freeze to delay or obscure transparency.

The temporary fine freeze will end on September 30, 2026.

While the Registrar maintains the authority to investigate and impose a prohibition on lobbying pursuant to section 7.2(2)(b.1), this authority will continue to be reserved for the most exceptional circumstances.

Eligibility framework

Apparent contraventions of the following sections are not eligible for the temporary fine freeze and may face administrative penalties if a contravention is determined:

    • Section 2.1 – Prohibition on lobbying in relation to a contract for providing paid advice to the government of British Columbia or a Provincial entity
    • Section 2.2 – Prohibition on lobbying by former public office holders

Contraventions of any other section in the LTA may be eligible for the temporary fine freeze if the following criteria is met.

Criteria

1. No past non-compliance determinations

• The organization/consultant lobbyist must never have received a determination of non-compliance from the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists for BC.

2. Designated filer/consultant lobbyist has not registered since May 4, 2020

      • The organization’s current designated filer or the consultant lobbyist must not have maintained a registration in the Lobbyists Registry at any time since May 4, 2020.
        • If the current designated filer or the consultant lobbyist has maintained a registration in the Lobbyists Registry at any point since May 4, 2020, they are not eligible for the temporary fine freeze.

3. Full transparency and cooperation

      • The organization/consultant lobbyist must be transparent and forthcoming with all potential contraventions and relevant information and must work promptly and cooperatively with ORL staff to enter all required information into the Lobbyists Registry.

Additional information