BC Receives ‘A’ Grade From Agency for Cutting Red Tape

Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has released its annual report card grading provinces on their efforts to cut red tape, and British Columbia has emerged as the only province to be given an ‘A’ rating – for the third year in a row.

Today the BC government also is announcing five priority projects to further cut red tape this year. After working with CFIB and consulting with small businesses, five projects have been identified to further reduce red tape in British Columbia:

    Procurement for Small Business: a simplified two-page form for request for proposals to make it easier for small businesses to do business with government on opportunities less than $250,000.
    ‘How to Start a Restaurant in BC’: develop an online roadmap that clearly explains to entrepreneurs how to start up and operate a restaurant in BC. This project will also involve research to find ways to reduce the time a restaurant spends interacting with government.
    Regulatory Reform Refresh: a commitment to develop a plan to refresh the way government is tackling regulatory reform to ensure BC remains a national and global leader in minimizing regulatory burden and cutting red tape.
    Citizen Centred Web Services: a commitment to deliver information and programs in a way that is open and transparent, allowing citizens to engage in making informed decisions and ensuring first-rate access to services.
    WorkSafeBC Strategy: A WorkSafeBC-led project to simplify registration documents and make improvements to their website to reduce complexity and clarify requirements for small businesses.

Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business Naomi Yamamoto stated in a news release that “The BC government is proud to be recognized by CFIB as a leader in cutting red tape by awarding us with an ‘A’ grade – for the third year in a row. Red tape costs small businesses time and money – that’s why we’re pumping up our fight against red tape.”

President/CEO of BC Restaurant and Food Services Association Ian Tostensen mentioned “Our industry is proud to work with the BC government to reduce red tape and regulation in our very regulated industry. This will give existing business owners more time to grow their sales and give new owners a quicker way to enter the industry.”