A former adviser to Premier Gordon Campbell has been charged with violating the Lobbyists Registration Act of B.C., a spokesperson for the Crown said Monday in Victoria.

Last year, the NDP accused Ken Dobell of failing to register as a lobbyist within the required time after the former deputy minister to the premier took two contracts as a consultant and adviser with the City of Vancouver.

Ken Dobell, a former adviser to B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, will repay $7,000 he received for lobbying work, the Crown said Monday.
(CBC)

Dobell was hired by the city to influence provincial policy on social housing, and he met with provincial officials, including Housing Minister Rich Coleman, on the city's behalf, special prosecutor Terrence Robertson concluded.

Dobell also had an ongoing contract with the premier's office as a special adviser after he retired, a title that was designed "specifically to indicate that he remained a person of some influence and credibility" with links to the premier, Robertson concluded.

Dobell didn't register as a provincial lobbyist until six months after the contracts began, even though he was required to register within 10 days under the Lobbyists Registration Act, Robertson said.

Robertson also concluded there was a substantial likelihood of conviction on a second offence of influence peddling under the Criminal Code of Canada.

But the special prosecutor concluded there was no public interest in proceeding with the charges for several reasons, including his belief that Dobell made an honest mistake in not registering and did not attempt to hide any of his roles.

It was also likely that based on similar cases, the court would give Dobell an absolute discharge if he were convicted, Robertson concluded.

For his part, Dobell acknowledged the offence of failing to register, and has agreed to enter a guilty plea and repay nearly $7,000 in fees he received for his lobbying work from the City of Vancouver, Robertson said.

Dobell is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, and is facing up to a $25,000 fine.

He began working privately as a consultant on the city's cultural precinct project and an adviser to the city manager on Vancouver's social housing plan after he retired from the premier's office in May 2005.

He also took a contract as the chief negotiator on the softwood lumber file for the provincial Ministry of Forests.