Province Marks Red Tape Awareness Week

The Province is marking the Canadian Federation of Independent Business’s Red Tape Awareness Week from February 21 to 25. It is a time to acknowledge and celebrate the ways governments of all levels can work to reduce red tape for businesses and citizens.

Recent red tape cutting initiatives include:

• partnering with Nova Scotia Health to make it easier for emergency room, intensive care unit and critical care physicians to work in other areas of the province
• introducing bypass technology that allows transport trucks to communicate with weigh stations and mobile carrier inspection sites so drivers have to stop less often, which increases the efficiency of transporting goods across the province and reduces costs, saving businesses an estimated $8.9 million annually
• streamlining regional land use planning regulations between Cape Breton and Antigonish municipalities, making residents’ and developers’ interactions with government easier and faster
• moving residential tenancies applications and payments online, which speeds processing times for tenants and landlords and saves them an estimated $34,000 annually
• launching the Remembrance Day assessment tool, making it easier for businesses and their employees to understand how to observe November 11.

A full list of burden reduction measures can be found in the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness’ 2021 annual report.

Quotes:

“Nova Scotia has been a leader in improving its regulatory environment and we at CFIB are committed to supporting its work to ensure this leadership continues. The team at the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness plays an important role in leading, co-ordinating and partnering to bring thoughtful solutions to complex problems that achieve impactful results.”

– Louis-Philippe Gauthier, Senior Director, Legislative Affairs (Atlantic), Canadian Federation of Independent Business

“Improving how government regulates helps create the right environment for the growing number of people and businesses who call Nova Scotia home. I’m proud of the progress our team has made with our partners this past year. We’re ready and eager to take on new challenges in 2022.”

– Fred Crooks, Chief Regulatory Officer, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness

Quick Facts:

• a total of $10,172,000 of estimated annual savings to businesses through red tape reduction initiatives was achieved in 2021

Additional Resources:

The 2021 annual report of the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness – Regulatory Solutions for a Stronger Nova Scotia – is available at: https://beta.novascotia.ca/documents/office-regulatory-affairs-and-service-effectiveness-annual-report-2021

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

Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NS_RegReform