Government Relations Strategies and Lobbyist Rules Compliance Item 6 September 14, 2018 Governance, Communications and Human Resources Committee

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1 Page 1 of 3 Government Relations Strategies and Lobbyist Rules Compliance Item 6 September 14, 2018 Governance, Communications and Human Resources Committee Report: To: From: GCHRC: Governance, Communications and Human Resources Committee ( GCHRC ) Director, Strategic Planning and Stakeholder Relations Date: September 14, 2018 PURPOSE: This report provides the GCHRC with the opportunity to review the corporation s government relations strategies and its compliance with lobbyist rules and regulations. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. It is recommended that the GCHRC receive this report for information. 2. It is also recommended that the GCHRC Charter be amended by changing the section heading and wording throughout for section C. Government Relations and Corporate Communications to replace government relations with stakeholder relations. REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. This report meets the requirement of the GCHRC Charter to review government relations strategies and lobbyist rules on a regular basis. There have been no changes to lobbyist rules and Toronto

2 Page 2 of 3 Community Housing Corporation ( TCHC ) does not have to register as a lobbyist with any of the orders of government. 2. The City of Toronto s Corporate Intergovernmental Relations Protocol establishes roles and responsibilities for City staff and corporations to facilitate the achievement of the City s strategic intergovernmental relations goals. A copy of the protocol is appended to this report as Attachment 1. Specifically, City staff and corporation staff support the Mayor / City Council in directly communicating with governments and elected officials to request legislative changes, funding requests and advocacy. City staff and corporation staff are not to undertake these types of actions themselves. As the protocol establishes that government relations activities are determined by the City and carried out by the Mayor and City Council, TCHC has no separate government-relations strategy. TCHC does however work with government officials, government divisions, agencies and enterprises. The Collaboration Framework that was provided to the Tenant Services Committee in September gives the framework for how and why those relations are developed. This framework builds on the partnership work TCHC has done over the years and is informed by the Tenants First recommendations. IMPLICATIONS AND RISKS: TCHC must keep itself informed of City Council s intergovernmental relations strategies and goals to ensure it is aligned with those strategies and goals of its shareholder. TCHC must raise any intergovernmental goals that it has with the Mayor and City Council through the City Manager s office as directed in the Shareholder Direction.

3 Page 3 of 3 SIGNATURE: Hugh Lawson Hugh Lawson Director, Strategic Planning & Stakeholder Relations ATTACHMENT: 1. Corporate Intergovernmental Relations Protocol City of Toronto, January 2011 STAFF CONTACT: Hugh Lawson, Director, Strategic Planning & Stakeholder Relations hugh.lawson@torontohousing.ca

4 CORPORATE INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS PROTOCOL STRATEGIC AND CORPORATE POLICY DIVISION CITY OF TORONTO JANUARY 2011

5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. INTRODUCTION Corporate Intergovernmental Relations Goals Objective of the Corporate Intergovernmental Relations Protocol Principles Application Scope Intergovernmental Opportunities and Requirements Roles and Responsibilities General Roles and Responsibilities Specific External Intergovernmental (IG) Communications Internal IG Communications and Briefings Involvement in Municipal Alliances and Governance Bodies City Initiatives with Implications for Other Governments Federal and Provincial Legislative Initiatives Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 2

6 INTRODUCTION The City's strategic intergovernmental agenda provides a corporate framework of goals and priorities for the City's domestic intergovernmental and international relationships. It is a shared agenda that requires corporate-wide collaboration. In early 2007 the Strategic and Corporate Policy Division rolled out a Corporate Intergovernmental Relations Protocol in a series of presentations to senior staff cluster meetings across the corporation. The Protocol established roles, responsibilities and mechanisms to ensure consistency and professionalism in the City's engagement with other governments. Since then, the Protocol has taken root across the organization. In January 2008 the City of Toronto and Province of Ontario entered into a Toronto-Ontario Cooperation and Consultation Agreement (T-OCCA), which commits both governments to ongoing, early consultation on matters of mutual interest. The Corporate Intergovernmental Relations Protocol has been updated in November 2008 to incorporate the T-OCCA's provisions as well as lessons learned from working with the Protocol since CORPORATE INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS (IGR) GOALS The City of Toronto is involved in a range of strategic intergovernmental relations (IGR) activities, both domestic and international, in order to: influence other governments actions to better support City priorities and objectives and to mitigate negative impacts; develop and maintain good constructive relationships with other governments; and achieve better, more informed decision-making by all orders of government. Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 3

7 2. OBJECTIVE OF THE CORPORATE INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS PROTOCOL The objective of this Corporate Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Protocol is to: establish roles, responsibilities and mechanisms to facilitate achievement of the City s strategic corporate IGR goals; provide guidance to City staff to ensure effective communications about corporate and strategic IGR issues; and, establish practices that implement the requirements of City intergovernmental agreements, such as the Toronto-Ontario Cooperation and Consultation Agreement (T- OCCA), as prescribed in the City of Toronto Act, PRINCIPLES This IGR Protocol is informed by the following guiding principles: The City must project a common position and speak with one voice in order to effectively communicate its messages and influence other governments to make better, more informed decisions. Building productive and effective intergovernmental relationships requires robust communication across the organization about IGR activities and issues. All City divisions must work collaboratively on issues that involve the City s relations with other governments. Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 4

8 4. APPLICATION This IGR Protocol applies to all staff of the City of Toronto. The protocol does not apply to members of City Council, although it references their critical role in intergovernmental relations. The protocol will be communicated to the City s ABCC s and they will be requested to cooperate with its provisions. 5. SCOPE This IGR Protocol provides guidance for City staff involvement in the following intergovernmental relations activities: communications between the City and other governments; City policies or legislative initiatives that require or request legislative or regulatory activity and/or funding by other governments or are matters of mutual interest with other governments; City policy or legislative initiatives that will have a significant financial or policy impact on other governments; provincial and federal policy consultations, legislative process and regulatory changes; agreements with other governments; alliances with other cities; City participation in international networks and activities; leveraging multiple City objectives and priorities in all international activities; and communications and briefings internal to the City about intergovernmental issues. Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 5

9 6. INTERGOVERNMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES AND REQUIREMENTS The City communicates with other governments at the political and at the staff levels directly, indirectly and informally every day. As a global City, Toronto is also part of a growing international community that gives the City strategic leadership and networking opportunities, that combined with domestic IGR functions, help advance the City s IGR strategic goals. In addition, the City has entered into intergovernmental agreements which include expectations and requirements, such as the Toronto-Ontario Cooperation and Consultation Agreement (T-OCCA). Direct communication includes: letters from the Mayor to Ministers and heads of governments requesting legislative or regulatory changes, funding requests, expressing a position on an action of the federal or provincial government. letters from senior City staff to senior staff in other governments and government agencies. briefings and meetings between political or staff government officials. agreements between the City and other governments. City submissions to political committees such as submissions to Provincial and Federal Pre-budget consultations or submissions to standing committees on legislative or regulatory changes; communicating Council decisions and requests regarding IGR issues; communication between and participation in international municipal organizations or direct international city to city partnerships; and communications with consular and diplomatic representatives. Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 6

10 Indirect communication includes: meetings and briefings with City staff in their role as part of a professional or sectoral organization. strategic advocacy with other cities, nationally and internationally, expressed through reports or media releases. media releases from the City expressing a reaction or position on an initiative of the federal or provincial governments aimed at other governments. Informal Communications include: media reports about specific issues that are of interest to other governments. reports to Council about issues that are of interest to other governments even when such reports do not include a specific ask or even address another government. Toronto-Ontario Cooperation and Consultation Agreement (T-OCCA) The City and the Province have signed the Toronto-Ontario Cooperation and Consultation Agreement (T-OCCA), as prescribed in the City of Toronto Act, This commits both governments to mutually consult as early as possible on: any proposed changes to legislation, regulation, bylaw or resolution that will have a significant financial or policy impact on the other party. broad policy matters of mutual interest. proposed agreements with the government of Canada, or other governments, that will have mutual impacts initiatives with other governments or stakeholders For reference, T-OCCA is posted at: Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 7

11 7. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES - GENERAL Effective intergovernmental relations require co-operation and collaboration across all City government levels, including: The Mayor is the head of the City government and is the lead on the City s intergovernmental relations and issues. City Manager and Deputy City Managers support the Mayor on the City s strategic intergovernmental relationships and initiatives; ensure horizontal co-ordination across divisions. City Divisions With emphasis on program-focused relationships, divisions: develop and maintain IG relationships through program administration responsibilities; share information about IG issues and consultations across the organization; lead development of City policy and program initiatives with IG implications, including consultations with other governments on those initiatives; participate in consultations initiated by other governments and support the Mayor/ CM, DCMs in formulating and communicating the City s positions or submissions - ( one voice ); support Mayor / Council in communicating IG requests or positions of Council, e.g. correspondence. Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 8

12 Strategic and Corporate Policy Division Item 6 - Government Relations Strategies and Lobbyist Rules Compliance With emphasis on government-to-government relations and international relations, supports the City Manager and Deputy City Managers by: developing intergovernmental relations protocol and providing intergovernmental policy advice; working with senior staff in divisions to integrate intergovernmental relations information and coordinating the exchange of information across the organization; providing timely briefings for the Mayor, Councillors, and senior management on intergovernmental issues and the status of the City s strategic initiatives; identifying and communicating implications and opportunities of major activities or events of other governments (e.g. legislative initiatives, Throne/ Budget speeches, municipal alliances); supporting the Mayor and Councillors involvement in municipal alliances and political consultations with other governments; administering and monitoring the Toronto-Ontario Cooperation and Consultation Agreement (T-OCCA); developing and updating the international policy framework which guides the City s strategic involvement in international networks and activities. Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 9

13 8. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES - SPECIFIC 8.1 EXTERNAL IG COMMUNICATIONS (BETWEEN THE CITY AND OTHER GOVERNMENTS) The Mayor and Councillors: The Mayor is the head of the City s government and the lead spokesperson for the City with other governments. The Mayor may designate others to communicate certain intergovernmental issues. City elected officials communicate directly with elected officials of other governments. Political staff communicate with political staff of other governments including ministers political staff. The City Manager and Deputy City Managers: City Manager is lead spokesperson for the City with senior staff of other governments regarding corporate and strategic issues. The City Manager may designate others to speak on certain intergovernmental issues. Division Heads: communicate with staff of other governments on regular basis as part of their divisional responsibilities; lead consultations with other governments as part of their policy development process; participate in consultations conducted by other governments; support the Mayor/ CM-DCMs in communicating City positions on initiatives of other governments and Council requests to other governments. Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 10

14 Strategic and Corporate Policy Division: provides strategic IG advice to Mayor, CM-DCMs and divisions. coordinates preparation of letters and other communications from the Mayor on Council decisions and positions. 8.2 INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS AND BRIEFINGS The City Manager and Deputy City Managers: keep the Mayor s office apprised of all intergovernmental relations and issues across the organization; provide updates on the City s intergovernmental initiatives and key issues at meetings of the Corporate Management Team, Division Heads and Deputy City Managers; need to be aware of all intergovernmental opportunities to support robust decisionmaking in order to facilitate information sharing. Division Heads: ensure that divisional staff are aware of the IGR Protocol; alert the Mayor s office, City Manager or appropriate DCM when there is contact with the division from political offices in other governments; inform Strategic and Corporate Policy Division about issues of importance to the City or opportunities to further the City s agenda that they become aware of in their day to day activities with other governments; keep Strategic and Corporate Policy apprised of the status of consultations with other governments that their staff are initiating or participating in; Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 11

15 request assistance from Strategic and Corporate Policy staff on intergovernmental issues as needed; identify IG items in the Agenda Forecasting System, i.e. reports that include requests of other governments for legislation, regulation or funding; or have significant policy or program implications for other governments. Strategic and Corporate Policy Division: provide the Mayor, Councillors, City Manager and senior staff summaries of major actions or events by other governments, including Throne Speeches and budgets, and the implications for the City; provide the Mayor, Councillors, City Manager and senior staff highlights of meetings of international, national and regional municipal alliances, such as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, that have participation by City councillors and address issues of importance to the City; provide the City Manager and senior staff with updates on City participation in consultations by other governments and legislative initiatives; prepare briefing material regarding significant IG activities events, including Budgets, Throne Speeches. 8.3 INVOLVEMENT IN MUNICIPAL ALLIANCES, GOVERNANCE BODIES AND INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES Political Participation The City has political representation and is an active participant in a number of organizations of municipal elected officials including: Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 12

16 Big City Mayors Caucus (BCMC) Large Urban Mayors Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO) Single Tier Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario (MARCO) Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Metropolis Strategic and Corporate Policy Division supports City elected officials participating in these and other organizations by: reviewing agendas and, in consultation with divisions, preparing briefings for the Mayor and City Councillors participating in the meetings; identifying, in consultation with DCMs/ divisions, issues the City should raise in municipal alliances; attending the meetings with the City s officials as appropriate; and summarizing the key points of interest from meetings in communications to the Mayor and Councillors, City Manager and Deputy City Managers, and division heads. Staff Participation City staff participate in organizations of municipal staff (such the Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers, Regional Planning Commissioners, Municipal and Government Finance Officers Associations and Regional and Single Tier CAO s) and sectoral organizations (Ontario Good Roads, Ontario Waterworks Association) that are often consulted on Provincial initiatives. Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 13

17 Division Heads: ensure that staff share the information about the initiatives of other governments obtained through these consultations and organizations with the Mayor s Office and Strategic and Corporate Policy. International Activities In addition to policy and advocacy work undertaken regionally, provincially and nationally, the City also engages in international activity to advance City priorities. Participating in international activity assists the City by: advancing domestic advocacy efforts; attracting investment to the City; assisting international communities in need (being a compassionate city); identifying international leadership opportunities to profile Toronto; and providing professional development opportunities for members of council and staff. There are many opportunities to meet these objectives. Examples include: Membership in international organizations and networks Organizing and participating in economic development trade missions; Attendance and participation at international events; Hosting and participating in international delegations; Engaging peer cities through the City of Toronto's International Alliance Program; and Developing technical partnerships with cities in need. Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 14

18 8.4 CITY INITIATIVES WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR OTHER GOVERNMENTS The development of City protocol and programs often involves a request to the Government of Canada or Province of Ontario for changes in legislation, regulation, program administration or funding. On the other hand, the City s own policy initiatives can have a significant financial or policy impact on other governments. The Mayor: Item 6 - Government Relations Strategies and Lobbyist Rules Compliance communicates Council s position or messages to elected officials in other governments. City Manager: communicates Council s positions or messages to senior staff in other governments. Such communication may be delegated. Division Heads: must consult with Strategic and Corporate Policy early in the process when contemplating a report to committee and Council with explicit intergovernmental implications, such as a request for funding or a legislative or regulatory change. Also enter IG on Agenda Forecasting System (AFS) spreadsheet. lead consultations with other governments early in the protocol development process, in consultation with Strategic and Corporate Policy, when developing policy that will have significant financial or policy impact on other governments, e.g. as per T-OCCA. Strategic and Corporate Policy: assists divisions with drafting requests to other governments from the Mayor or from senior staff and ensuring consistency with the City s intergovernmental positions and priorities; collaborates with the Clerk s Office to review Council decision documents for the resolutions involving other governments and determine the required follow-up; Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 15

19 facilitates formal meetings between City and Province under the Toronto-Ontario Cooperation and Consultation Agreement (T-OCCA); monitors mutual City-Province consultations, as per T-OCCA. 8.5 FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES Federal departments and provincial ministries routinely initiate consultations leading to legislative or regulatory changes or other types of announcements and actions that are of interest to the City. For the Province, such consultations are formalized under T-OCCA. As an order of government it is important that the City take a position on actions by other governments that have implications for the City. Consultations Division Heads: assign staff to participate in consultations by other governments with the objective of: o understanding the protocol, program and financial implications for the City; o understanding the Provincial objective for the initiative; and o providing constructive input to influence the protocol consistent with City objectives and positions. advise Deputy City Managers and Strategic and Corporate Policy Division when staff are invited to participate in consultations by other governments and will advise on the status of the consultations. determine if and when Council direction is required to establish a City position for participation in consultations. The City Manager and Deputy City Managers: identify the need for collaboration across divisions or with ABCs in such consultations and will assign a lead staff person. Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 16

20 Strategic and Corporate Policy staff: Item 6 - Government Relations Strategies and Lobbyist Rules Compliance keep track of City involvement in consultations and identify linkages with other consultations that may involve the City; advise division staff on opportunities for collaboration with other governments and organizations to advocate for certain actions. Legislation A bill introduced in the Ontario Legislature or House of Commons that has implications for the City may or may not have been the subject of prior consultation involving the City. As part of the legislative process the bill may be referred to a standing committee and may be subject to public hearings. Strategic and Corporate Policy, in consultation with Deputy City Managers and Division Heads: advise the Mayor s office if communications from the Mayor or his/her designate to the Minister regarding the City s position on the legislation should be prepared upon introduction of the bill. advise the Mayor s office if the City should request an opportunity to appear before the standing committee and who should attend. Strategic and Corporate Policy: alert Deputy City Managers and Division heads about legislation that may have implications for the City and other related legislation that is in progress. provide strategic advice regarding submissions to standing committee. Division Heads: identify implications of legislation and compare to input from the City through consultations. Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 17

21 prepare submissions to standing committees. inform the Mayor s office if division staff are asked by ministers offices to participate in events marking the bill s introduction. Contact: Rosanna Scotti Lynda Taschereau Director, Strategic & Corp. Policy Division Manager, Intergovernmental Relations rscotti@toronto.ca ltascher@toronto.ca Strategic & Corporate Policy Division, City Manager s Office 18