Premier Stephen McNeil joined representatives from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business today, Jan. 15, to proclaim Jan. 18-22 as Red Tape Awareness Week.

“Government recognizes the importance of small- and medium-sized businesses to the province’s economy and growth,” said Premier McNeil. “Red Tape Awareness Week is a chance to draw attention to the impact of red tape on businesses and the work we’re doing to tackle it and foster growth and opportunity.”

Since last year’s Red Tape Awareness Week, government created the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness — a joint office first between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and more recently Prince Edward Island.

Government also adopted a Charter of Governing Principles for Regulation to help guide regulators to less and better regulation, and introduced the Regulatory Accountability and Reporting Act, the first of its kind in Nova Scotia. New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island also adopted a charter and have committed to mirror legislation ensuring a Maritime approach to regulatory reform to enhance the region’s competitiveness.

For more information about Red Tape Awareness Week, go to http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/6890-red-tape-awareness-week-2016.html or follow the hashtag #RTAW on Twitter.

To learn more about the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Services Effectiveness, and to view a list of Nova Scotia’s red tape cutting initiatives, visit http://novascotia.ca/regulatoryopportunity/red-tape-nova-scotia-work.asp.

Source: Release