Provincial government passes red-tape reduction legislation

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By Robin MacLennan

Ontraio Construction News staff writer

The Ontario Legislature passed the Better for People, Smarter for Business Act this week, part of a plan to reduce red tape and modernize regulations for businesses.

“Many regulations are in place for good reasons, like those that protect health, safety and the environment,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, associate minister of small business and red tape reduction.

“But at the same time, decades of government regulation have resulted in rules that are duplicative, outdated or unclear, causing businesses to spend time and money complying with rules that simply could be better. We’re ensuring that Ontario’s regulations are effective, targeted, clear and focused — while maintaining Ontario’s high standards.”

The Ontario government is proposing a package of over 80 proposed actions to eliminate unnecessary or outdated rules and streamline regulations that need updating.

New rules will lower the cost of doing business by making it simpler and more cost-effective to comply with regulations — leading to more jobs, higher, he said.

The announcement came the week after Statistics Canada announced that employment in Ontario increased by 15,400 in November. Since June 2018, employment statistics in Ontario has jumped by 271,600.

The Better for People, Smarter for Business Act supports various business sectors including construction, agriculture, trucking, forestry and mining. It streamlines and consolidates rules and requirements for quarries, farming and waste management and creates a one-stop shop for trucking safety and emissions inspections and hydroelectric dam approvals.

“We heard from families and businesses that Ontario’s regulatory burden is weighing them down,” said Minister Sarkaria.

“This legislation will provide direct benefits to people in their everyday lives, while also improving Ontario’s investment climate, restoring our competitive advantage, and helping reignite the economic growth that made Ontario the economic engine of Canada.”

In January 2019, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business gave Ontario an A- in its 2019 Red Tape Report Card. That was Ontario’s highest grade ever, and a big jump from the C+ received in 2018.

The new legislation, along with other changes announced previously, are projected to save Ontario businesses over $338 million per year in costs when fully implemented.

“Ontario is a role model in reducing the regulatory burden on businesses. I am impressed by the government’s leadership in making regulation more agile by applying a small business lens and taking a lighter touch to enforcing regulations, said Dominic Barton, global managing partner emeritus at management consultancy McKinsey & Company.

“We need to take this approach across Canada.”

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