For the sixth year in a row British Columbia is leading the pack when it comes to cutting red tape to make government programs and services easier to use.

British Columbia is one of only a few provinces to ever receive the top mark in the CFIB’s (Canadian Federation of Independent Business) Red Tape Report Card. B.C. has done so for six consecutive years. As part of CFIB’s Red Tape Awareness Week campaign, executive vice president Laura Jones presented the report card to Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction Coralee Oakes in Vancouver today. B.C.’s ‘A’ grade recognizes the Province’s ongoing commitment to reducing frustrating and unnecessary regulations that get in the way of British Columbians and small businesses accessing government resources each and every day.

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B.C.’s efforts to reduce red tape are unwavering. The provincial government is continuing the conversation with British Columbians and listening to their ideas, which have helped to:

• create the Help Cut Red Tape submission button on the Province’s homepage so anyone can submit their idea to cut red tape 24/7, 365 days a year – B.C. is the only province with an ongoing mechanism in place to gather ideas directly from citizens and businesses;
• launch an online adoption portal to help find forever homes for more foster children by eliminating burdensome paperwork and bringing all aspects of the adoption process online;
• streamlined the Fish and Seafood Act and the Food and Agricultural Products Classification Act to simplify the legislation governing the fish, seafood and general food industries in British Columbia. The update removed 680 regulations from the books and will help the B.C. agrifood sector continue to thrive;
• update the Regulatory Reform Policy to require any changes to provincial legislation, regulations, policies and forms to consider the impact on small businesses;
• launch onRouteBC, an innovative online permit resource for the commercial trucking industry – the first of its kind in Canada; and
• reconfirm British Columbia’s commitment to its net-zero policy until 2019—when one regulation is created, one regulation is removed.

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To keep this momentum going, British Columbians are encouraged to submit ideas to make government services better, faster, and more efficient. Submitting an idea is as easy as visiting www.gov.bc.ca and clicking on the Help Cut Red Tape button.

Quotes:

Coralee Oakes, Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction –

“Making it easier for British Columbians to access government, such as obtaining a criminal record check, becoming an organ donor or applying for business permits, is at the core of our commitment to cut red tape. We are honoured to be recognized by CFIB with a sixth straight ‘A’ grade for reducing the time and frustration that prevents people from accessing the programs and services they use every day, and remain committed to delivering services that are faster, easier to access and simpler to use.”

Laura Jones, executive vice-president of Canadian Federation of Independent Business –

“B.C. continues to receive ‘A’ grades for red tape reduction because the provincial government has not lost their focus. The B.C. model of red tape reduction serves and an impressive template which other jurisdictions should consider emulating. This is B.C.’s sixth consecutive ‘A’ from CFIB.”

Quick Facts:

• CFIB’s Red Tape Report Cards report out on each provinces red-tape reduction efforts and grades them with a letter grade.
• The B.C. government is a recognized leader in reducing red tape. British Columbia is the only province to receive an ‘A’ grade, and the province has now received six ‘A’ grades from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
• Since 2001, the Province has reduced the regulatory burden for citizens and small businesses by 47% and completed hundreds of streamlining initiatives to reduce red tape.
• British Columbia has received international recognition for cutting red tape and B.C. is seeing other jurisdictions from around the world, including Kentucky and Illinois in the United States, as well as Japan modelling their initiatives based on what B.C. has achieved.
• In 2015, the Province extended its cap on regulatory requirements until 2019.
• The second Red Tape Reduction Day will be on March 1, 2017.
• B.C.’s online red tape reduction website allows anyone to see how many ideas have been submitted and how the input is being actioned.

Learn More:

Find out how the Province is taking action to reduce red tape: www.gov.bc.ca/helpcutredtape

Regulatory Reform in B.C.: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/about-the-bc-government/regulatory-reform

Canadian Federation of Independent Business: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/index.html