- New legislation making it cheaper and easier to work with government
TORONTO, Canada – The Ontario government introduced the Cutting Red Tape, Building Ontario Act, 2024, that if passed, would make life easier and more affordable for businesses and individuals, while improving our competitiveness and strengthening the economy.
The legislation is a key part of the Fall 2024 Red Tape Reduction package that includes such measures as removing barriers to building homes and making it easier for people seeking long-term care. These are among the more than 550 red tape reduction measures introduced since 2018 that have saved people, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and the broader public sector over $1 billion every year and 1.5 million hours in time savings.
“Red tape has long hindered productivity and economic growth in Ontario,” said Mike Harris, minister of red tape reduction. “Thanks to the actions taken by our government since 2018, our red tape reduction measures have lowered costs, improved services and supported economic recovery, all while maintaining essential safety and environmental standards. Our most recent red tape package includes new initiatives that would provide an additional $20 million in cost savings and more than 56,000 hours in time saved per year. This will continue to make life easier and more affordable, strengthen Ontario’s standing in the global economy and create the conditions for people and businesses to thrive.”
The Cutting Red Tape, Building Ontario Act, 2024 contains over 60 new burden reduction initiatives to improve services, keep costs down and rebuild Ontario’s economy, including:
- Freezing fees for knowledge and road tests for Ontario drivers;
- Making the admission process easier for people seeking long-term care;
- Reducing unnecessary administrative requirements for brownfield redevelopment to help accelerate the building of new homes;
- Speeding up operations at the Landlord and Tenant Board;
- Proposing regulatory changes to make it easier for building officials to work across provincial boundaries;
- Employing digital tools to help deliver key infrastructure projects such as hospitals, highways and transit on time and on budget.
The ministry of red tape reduction is also proposing to amend the Modernizing Ontario for People and Businesses Act, 2020 to enhance the province’s ability to measure and report on how government’s actions are impacting individuals. This would help identify areas where processes can be simplified and improved so people can spend less time and money accessing or receiving services, resulting in a more positive experience when interacting with government.
As the ministry of red tape reduction continues its work, people and businesses are encouraged to visit the Red Tape Portal at Ontario.ca/redtape and submit their ideas on ways the province can continue to make it easier to access services and do business in Ontario.
“We commend minister Harris and the Ontario government for remaining laser-focused on reducing regulatory burdens for businesses – and now also individuals – through the consistent introduction of two Red Tape Reduction packages every year. Unnecessary, excessive, and duplicative paperwork costs businesses and people valuable time and money that could be better spent on job creation and families. Regulation disproportionately impacts smaller businesses, because they don’t have compliance or HR departments to do the work of following government rules,” said Julie Kwiecinski director of provincial affairs for Ontario, Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
