Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Ontario removing unnecessary licence requirements
Ontario’s Government is working for farmers, agri-businesses, and the people by modernizing licensing and certification processes to reduce unnecessary red tape, cut costs and help businesses grow, while maintaining standards to keep Ontario workers and families safe and healthy.
Today, Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) was at FS Partners, an agri-business in Ayr, to speak about licence modernization, which was announced in last week’s 2019 Ontario Budget.
“I’ve heard from farmers and agriculture sector leaders who say the licence forms are too complicated, too time consuming and that there are too many fees,” said Hardeman. “On top of that, they said some licences simply duplicate federal and municipal ones. That’s inefficient and doesn’t make sense. It’s why we are looking at ways to improve and streamline licensing so farmers and processors can spend less time on paperwork and focus on growing their businesses and supporting good jobs.”
Forms, renewal periods, processing times and fees all vary across the more than 20 licence, permit and certification programs OMAFRA delivers. The government will identify ways to modernize licensing and certification processes to reduce regulatory burden, while maintaining standards to keep Ontario workers and families safe and healthy.
Improvements are part of the government’s multi-year Open for Business Action Plan, which is tackling the red tape that’s driving jobs and investment out of the province. The plan includes a target to reduce regulatory red tape affecting businesses by 25 per cent.
The government’s first budget was released on April 11. It details a plan to put Ontario back on the path to fiscal balance in a responsible manner, so we can preserve and protect the vital public services – schools, hospitals and other services – Ontarians rely on, and make life for farmers more affordable.
Quick Facts
- On April 2, the Ontario legislature passed the Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act. The Act will reduce regulatory burdens in 12 sectors, helping job creators thrive, create and keep good jobs.
- A research paper from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy in Toronto shows that Ontario has the highest cost of complying with regulations of any province — $33,000 per business per year. This is well above the $25,000 to $27,000 range in most other provinces.
- The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs issues more than 5,000 licences, certificates and permits annually.
