Business
Tourism, Culture and Recreation
Human Resources, Labour and Employment
October 2, 2008

Red Tape Reduction Relieving the Burden on Province�s Businesses

The ongoing Red Tape Reduction Initiative has successfully eliminated regulatory requirements across the Provincial Government by a full 20 per cent to date and is quickly closing in on its three-year target, the Honourable Paul Oram, Minister of Business, announced today.

The initiative, which has resulted in a net reduction of more than 62,500 regulatory requirements since its inception, is benefiting not only the general public, but also businesses that rely on Provincial Government services and information.

"We are on the homeward stretch to our goal of cutting government regulatory requirements by 25 per cent," said Minister Oram. "This initiative is creating a more competitive business environment and alleviating the regulatory burden placed on small and medium-sized enterprises and everyday citizens."

Since the initiative began, departments, agencies, boards and commissions � 33 separate Provincial Government entities in all � have been diligently undertaking their own efforts to identify and address administrative and regulatory inefficiencies, and contributing directly to the overall reduction.

The Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation has streamlined the collection of licensing and marketing information required from tourism operators, and has enabled operators to provide information online.

The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, said, at one time, tourism operators were required to fill out both a Tourism Establishment Licence Renewal Application and a Tourism Operator Profile. Although they were used for different purposes, each contained much of the same information.

"In consultation with Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, we were able to merge the two forms into one, so that operators can provide the required information � once a year," said Minister Jackman. "In addition, this information can now be provided online, to the new Tourism Destination Management System (TDMS), which greatly reduces the paperwork burden for both operators and department staff."

The Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission is implementing measures to reduce administrative red tape and improve services to employers, workers and other stakeholders. This includes streamlining certain processes, implementing web-based services, and standardizing forms. The commission also recently established a new client service office that facilitates timely resolutions to individual client service issues, identifies client service trends, and recommends enhancements to current services.

"The commission has achieved a 27 per cent reduction in red tape and continues to improve service to employers and clients by eliminating and streamlining many of its policies, procedures and forms," said the Honourable Shawn Skinner, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment. "Many procedures have been reformatted to provide clear direction for decision-makers to enhance services for workers in the areas of wage loss rate setting, labour market re-entry and early and safe return-to-work. Web services have been put in place so that employers can get clearance letters and injury cost reports online."

The Province�s Red Tape Reduction Initiative was launched in 2006 with a goal of reducing Provincial Government regulatory requirements by a targeted 25 per cent over three years.

"The progress we are seeing is a result of the work of dedicated Provincial Government employees whose efforts are helping make real improvements to the regulatory environment," said Minister Oram. "I know the benefits of this initiative will continue, even after our three-year target has been reached."

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Media contacts:

Mark King
Director of Communications
Department of Business
709-729-7628, 699-3454
markking@gov.nl.ca

Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca

Ronalda Walsh
Director of Communications
Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment
709-729-0753, 699-7903
ronaldawalsh@gov.nl.ca

 

2008 10 02                                                   9:45 a.m.
 


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