Reducing Regulatory Burden Critical to a Stronger Ontario

(Toronto, October 28, 2018) – Today, Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) released the following statement in response to the Government of Ontario’s newly proposed legislation, Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, announced this afternoon by the Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria, Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction.

“Ontario is currently the most regulated province in Canada and as our economy continues to evolve, so too must the regulatory environment which continues to hamper Ontario’s economic prosperity. That is why, as the voice of our 60,000 members in 135 communities across the province, we welcome today’s newly proposed legislation and the government for holding strong in its commitment to cut unproductive red tape.

“Specifically, key measures in today’s proposed legislation supported by Ontario’s business community include:

• Expanding alcohol service hours to 24-hours a day in international airports. This would create new economic opportunities and have a positive impact on the province’s domestic industry. In our recent report, Refreshing the Sale of Beverage Alcohol, we outline this economic potential and are pleased to see the Government of Ontario move forward in joining other airports around the world.
• Reducing burdens on drug manufacturers and pharmacies. In our red tape submission, we urge government to reduce unnecessary reporting requirements that make it more costly and slow down the process for Ontario’s health and life science sector to bring new drugs to market. By eliminating the requirement for these companies to submit an annual report, the government is helping to bring down the costs of medications for Ontarians.
• Streamlining approvals in the forestry industry. If passed, this would create a new ‘permit to remove forest resources’ in order to streamline the authorization process for cutting trees on Crown land for approved non-forestry activities like electricity transmission lines and roads to far north communities.
• Reducing regulatory burden on the mining industry. Requiring the government to acknowledge mine closure plan amendments within 45 days (to improve business certainty for proponents in the mining industry) as well as streamlining processes to allow clients to merge mining claims.

“While there is work underway, there remains much more to be done when it comes to reducing the regulatory burden on business in Ontario. We will continue to work with the Government of Ontario on this important initiative.”

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For more information please contact:
Ceara Copps – Edwards
Senior Advisor, Public Affairs
Ontario Chamber of Commerce
647-936-6734
cearacoppsedwards@occ.ca

About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the independent, non-partisan voice of Ontario business. The OCC’s mission is to support economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s Park on behalf of its network’s diverse 60,000 members.