News release

Red Tape Reduction for Nova Scotia Businesses

Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness

Supporting Nova Scotia businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic will be a critical part of helping them emerge in a strong position and will support Nova Scotia’s economic recovery. That is why the province is looking for even more ways to reduce regulatory barriers and burden for businesses.

The Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness released a report today, Jan. 29, highlighting 16 initiatives from the past year that are collectively expected to save businesses $16.2 million annually, exceeding the target of $10 million.

“The past year has presented challenges never seen before for all businesses, especially those in the hospitality and tourism industries. I applaud the sector’s commitment to work though these extraordinary circumstances,” said Premier Stephen McNeil. “We know that regulatory action, which includes process and service improvements, is a practical way for government to support economic growth and is an essential part of countering the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic.”

Over the past 10 months, government fast-tracked initiatives to support business through the pandemic – efforts that contributed to a reduction in regulatory burden. More than 130 regulatory actions were taken to reduce cost to business and ease the burden of operating.

Since 2017, the regulatory burden on business has been reduced by $50 million (net) annually.

Quick Facts:

  • the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness was created in 2015 to reduce red tape and improve the regulatory environment for business
  • the Canadian Federation of Independent Business Red Tape Awareness Week is Jan. 25 to 29
  • the Canadian Federation of Independent Business rated Nova Scotia’s efforts in improving the regulatory environment an ‘A’ in its report card
  • in 2020, the office’s deputy minister and team led the province’s personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement strategy in the pandemic effort

Additional Resources:

The report on how government is achieving these results is available at https://novascotia.ca/regulatoryopportunity/report.asp

The inventory of regulatory actions put in place by government throughout the pandemic is available at: https://novascotia.ca/regulatoryopportunity/

More information about the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness can be found at: http://novascotia.ca/regulatoryopportunity/

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