News release

Province Releases Better Business Plan

Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations (Oct. 2000 - March 2014)

The province has released a new plan to make it easier to do business in Nova Scotia.

The plan, Better Business: Creating an Environment for Business Success, will benefit businesses, social enterprises and the economy.

"The province is looking for ways to help businesses succeed in Nova Scotia," said John MacDonell, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. "Through Better Business, we will make changes that support increased productivity and competitiveness. Healthier businesses mean a healthier economy."

The Better Business plan focuses on making improvements by business sector, identifying significant opportunities, and resolving issues with simple, effective solutions. The plan builds on the achievements of the Better Regulation Initiative and is part the province's jobsHere plan to grow the economy.

The Better Business plan lays out actions for the next three years. Work has begun on analyzing the business environment for one sector, convenience stores.

"I'm pleased to see the government taking a sector approach," said Mike Hammoud, president, Atlantic Convenience Stores Association. "It's ambitious, but if government and the industry work together, it should have a real impact."

"Red tape is a huge issue for small business," said Leanne Hachey, vice-president Atlantic for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. "We're hopeful Better Business will not only eliminate unnecessary 'irritants' and streamline cumbersome processes for business, but will help government find efficiencies, too."

Better Business supports the jobsHere plan to grow the economy, making life better for all Nova Scotians. For more information on doing business in Nova Scotia, visit http://business.novascotia.ca .

Better Business: Creating an Environment for Business Success can be downloaded at http://gov.ns.ca/jobshere/ .