The mayor of Whitby is proposing a new transparency rule that would require councillors to disclose consultants and political advisors helping behind the scenes.

Elizabeth Roy said the move is needed to ensure voters know who may be influencing municipal decision-making. She said this is a concern raised by the community and council members.

“There has been some presence of lobbyists and some influences… that is being expensed outside the councillors,” she said.

“We have special interest groups that are giving some focus and support to council members, and that should be upfront and transparent to the community as to how you are supporting this.”

The motion, which Roy is expected to introduce to the council this coming Monday, would require councillors to disclose advisors, consultants, communications support, political strategists and possibly funding sources.

At the provincial and federal levels, lobbying and conflicts of interests are more tightly regulated. Lobbyists must register their activities with the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada, while ministers and senior officials are subject to disclosure and ethics rules overseen by the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.

The proposal comes as municipalities across Ontario face increasing pressure to strengthen ethics rules and transparency around political influence – particularly ahead of the upcoming municipal election cycle.

Roy added that this motion comes in light of Bill 9, the Municipal Accountability Act, which expanded the powers of municipal integrity commissioners and introduced stronger penalties for councillors found to have violated codes of conduct.

“As this review is happening, it’s time to bring us into the current action of how municipal politics is being managed,” Roy said.

Ottawa is one municipality that has already introduced transparency measures around political influences. The city established Canada’s first municipal lobbyist registry in 2012, requiring lobbyists to publicly disclose who they represent and which office holders they are attempting to influence.

However, the registry currently focuses on external lobbyists.

Upon making an announcement on her social pages, Roy said she received positive feedback from the community, including support to follow suit with a similar motion from regions Vaughn and Ajax.