Ontario Earns Second Highest Grade For Reducing Red Tape

On the second day of its seventh annual Red Tape Awareness Week, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is giving the Ontario government a B+ for its continued commitment to reducing red tape.

“Ontario earned the second highest grade in the country on CFIB’s annual Red Tape Report Card, sitting just behind British Columbia and landing on par with Quebec,” said CFIB’s Ontario vice president, Plamen Petkov. “The grade acknowledges the government’s leadership and consistent efforts to reduce the regulatory burden on small business, specifically through the implementation of the Burden Reduction Reporting Act.”

“Our government understands that creating a climate where businesses can succeed means reducing unnecessary regulations and practices,” said Brad Duguid, the Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure.  “Ontario has already eliminated more than one in six regulatory requirements and is very pleased to have these efforts acknowledged by the CFIB.  As one example, we are already more than halfway toward our goal of reducing burdens to save business $100 million by 2017. Much remains to be done, but we are thrilled that our efforts to date have been acknowledged by the CFIB. The work continues.”

Under Minister Duguid’s leadership, the government’s continuous and steady progress to reduce red tape has allowed Ontario’s grade to climb from a C- in 2011 to a B+ in 2016. The report card looks at measurement, public reporting and political leadership.

“Government red tape is a hidden tax that affects Canada’s small businesses much more than larger firms,” added Petkov. “CFIB looks forward to continuing to work with the provincial government to ensure that regulatory reduction measures translate into real and lasting relief.”

To achieve an even higher grade, CFIB recommends that Ontario measure the total regulatory burden on businesses, including the total burden imposed by all government ministries, and related agencies, boards and commissions.