Here’s a look back at the news we covered this week:

A coalition of humanitarian organizations has launched a campaign urging the federal government to exempt their on-the-ground work in Afghanistan from sanctions targeting the Taliban, and say that the existing system is preventing aid from reaching vulnerable Afghans. Islamic Relief Canada has partnered with 18 other non-governmental organizations, including the Canadian Red Cross, Save the Children, and Amnesty International, to launch the Aid for Afghanistan campaign. The organizations are urging the federal government to create humanitarian exemptions to the criminal code and sanctions against the Taliban in order to permit Canadian groups to administer aid and assistance in Afghanistan.

The federal ethics office has concluded that Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) chair Ian Scott did not contravene the Conflict of Interest Act over a 2019 meeting with BCE Inc. and Bell Canada executive Mirko Bibic in an Ottawa pub. In a report released on Aug. 24, Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion said he had “no reason to believe Mr. Scott has contravened the Act,” and as such the threshold to launch a full investigation had not been reached.

Jon Robinson has joined Crestview Strategy’s Halifax office as a senior consultant. In addition to his Maritimes knowledge, Robinson also spent a decade on the other side of the country working for the B.C. NDP. “To be able to offer that coast-to-coast experience, I think, was pretty appealing to Crestview and it's something that I think is a unique offering I can bring to clients,” Robinson told The Lobby Monitor. “Crestview has an opportunity to kind of build a presence across Canada and to really be able to have that presence in every part of the country.”

Rogers Communications Inc. posted 19 of the 858 communication reports submitted to the registry last week. Represented on the registry by president and CEO Anthony Staffieri, the communications all took place either on or after July 8, when a network outage left millions of Rogers customers without cellular or internet access for several hours. Rogers communicated twice on July 8 with Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne; as well as Conservative innovation critic Gérard Deltell on July 18; and NDP innovation critic Brian Masse on July 20.

In new registrations, Foris, Inc., and Foris Dax, Inc., doing business as Crypto.com, registered on Aug. 15 with StrategyCorp consultants Sébastien Labrecque, Garry Keller, and John Perenack. The file states that the company is interested in discussing the regulation of digital asset exchanges in Canada, as well as the “availability of digital assets to retailers and institutions.” Labrecque, Keller, and Perenack plan to communicate with Finance, the Bank of Canada, FINTRAC, and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, as well as with MPs.

Miovision Technologies Inc. started its first file on Aug. 12 with PAA Advisory consultant Dan Pfeffer. Kate Mah and Felix Wong, also of PAA, joined the file on Aug. 19. Miovision develops computer vision, artificial intelligence, and analytics that measure traffic volumes and patterns. According to its registry file, Miovision is interested in discussing federal greenhouse gas emission reduction programs. The company wants “to ensure that municipalities can participate in federal government programs that provide [greenhouse gas] reduction benefits achieved through traffic optimization measures.”  Pfeffer, Mah, and Wong plan to communicate with nine government agencies, including the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Finance, Environment, Innovation, and Transport, as well as with MPs.

Boosting its representation on the Hill is Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association (AIHA), a coalition of municipalities in and around the Edmonton metropolitan area. The association added Global Public Affairs consultants Sonia Boskov and Ted Gruetzner on Aug. 16, followed by Miriam Mathew on Aug. 22, and Catherine Lansley on Aug. 25. They join AIHA executive director Mark Plamondon, who has represented the association since Sept. 20, 2017; and consultant Will Adams, who is registered with a number corporation and has represented AIHA since Nov. 8, 2021.  According to its registry file, AIHA is interested in working with Global Affairs, Innovation, Western Economic Diversification, and Natural Resources to “jointly promote investment opportunities” in the region.

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Aug. 26 at 9:09 a.m. ET

New registrations

Reactivations