McGuinty Government To Help Small Business Grow And Succeed
Government Launches New Agency To Give Voice To Small Business
TORONTO, April 21 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government is creating a Small Business Agency to help small business save time and money, Economic Development and Trade Minister Joseph Cordiano announced today.
"As a former business owner, I understand the amount of government paperwork small businesses need to wade through," said Cordiano. "Business owners have told me again and again about how time-consuming it is to find
information about regulations, and how the concerns of small business are not always heard."
The Ontario government is establishing the Small Business Agency to allow small business owners to focus their energy and resources on the work of running a business.
The agency will help small businesses grow and succeed by:
- Including small business representatives to give them an opportunity to speak directly to government decision-makers - Looking at ways to cut down on paperwork required to run a small business, saving owners time and money
- Reviewing key existing regulations as well as examining proposed new
regulations with the goal of making compliance as easy as possible,
while protecting health and safety
- Making sure government is aware of how each new regulation could
affect small business costs and competitiveness
The agency will also work with small business groups such as the Ontario
Chamber of Commerce and other community business organizations to see where
improvements need to be made.
"This new agency will review regulatory proposals, promote regulatory
best practices, streamline paperwork and ensure small business interests are
part of the decision-making process," said Tony Wong, Small Business Agency
Chair and Parliamentary Assistant to Minister Cordiano. "It will hold regular,
open discussions between business owners and government to ensure small
businesses in Ontario can compete and grow."
"The Canadian Federation of Independent Business's 10-point plan for
Regulatory Reform in Ontario envisions that the new small business agency will
be equipped to reduce the regulatory load and paper burden on small firms,"
said Judith Andrew, Vice-President (Ontario), CFIB. "We appreciate the
government's determination to work with the CFIB and our members to improve
Ontario's economic competitiveness with this important initiative."
Small and medium-sized enterprises make up 99 per cent of Ontario's
businesses and account for more than 50 per cent of Ontario's jobs.
"I am confident that our new agency will help ease the costly and time- consuming bureaucracy that small businesses experience, and let small businesses focus on what they do best - create jobs and prosperity for the people of Ontario," said Cordiano.
