Government red tape removal in B.C. is laudable, but its entrenched bureaucratic inertia is not.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) recently recognized the former on two fronts. It named Premier Christy Clark and Coralee Oakes, the province’s minister of small business and red tape reduction, as winners of its Golden Scissors Award, which recognizes politicians who have been leaders in cutting red tape. The CFIB applauded the two for legislating North America’s first Red Tape Reduction Day, which is aimed at ridding B.C. of regressive regulations that complicate commerce and constrict innovation for the 380,000 small businesses in the province.
The 2015-16 annual service plan for Oakes’ ministry claims it exceeded the goal of zero net increase in red tape in 2015-16 by cutting regulatory requirements 11.6% compared with the 2004 baseline count. The CFIB also awarded B.C. another “A” grade for red tape removal.
Last week, meanwhile, the BC Liberal government announced additional changes to the province’s liquor laws aimed at providing more flexibility for service industry and other businesses.
However, similar government initiative needs to be applied to bureaucratic inertia. A prime example is provided in “Mining disaster followed years of permit delays: documents” – Business in Vancouver issue 1420; January 17-23). The story, based on documents obtained through a freedom of information (FOI) request, chronicles Imperial Metals’ attempts to secure a water discharge permit in anticipation of restarting its Mount Polley copper mine.
The 10-year wait would be laughable were the consequences of such delay not a potential contributor to the August 2014 environmental disaster resulting from the breach of the mine’s tailing pond embankments. Even the government’s response to BIV’s FOI request took a year.
Bureaucratic inertia is as corrosive to B.C.’s environmental and economic well-being as is the red tape that binds the hands of businesses. Like red tape reduction, its elimination should be a provincewide priority.
