The proposed Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018 is the second in a series of bills through Ontario’s Open for Business Action Plan.
The Government of Ontario says that the plan is to stimulate business investment, create good jobs, and make Ontario more competitive by cutting unnecessary regulations that are inefficient, inflexible or out of date. The bill would amend a number of acts.
Norfolk County’s Tourism & Economic Development Advisory Board (which also acts as Planning Advisory Committee) and Agriculture Advisory Board will review the proposals in December and provide feedback to Council.
The proposed Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018, if passed, would make the following legislative changes:
Schedule 1: Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs
Remove outdated and time-consuming reporting requirements under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Act, including ones required for loan guarantee programs.
Amend the Agricultural Employees Protection Act (AEPA) to cover ornamental horticultural workers.
Enable amendments under the Farm Registration and Farm Organizations Funding Act to simplify delivery of programs and enhance responsiveness.
Schedule 2: Ministry of the Attorney General
Repeal the Pawnbrokers Act.
Schedule 3: Ministry of Education
Remove restrictions on home-based child care providers, including allowing additional children, to make it easier for parents to find affordable child care.
Lower the age of children that authorized recreation programs can serve from 6 to 4.
Schedule 4: Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines
Repeal the authority of the Ontario Energy Board to set rates for Unit Sub Metering Providers (USMPs)
Schedule 5: Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Repeal the Toxics Reduction Act, 2009 by 2021, remove the toxics reduction plan in 2019 and rely on the robust and science-based Federal Chemicals Management Plan
Schedule 6: Ministry of Finance
Stop requiring a new regulation whenever businesses and non-profits merge single-employer pension plans into jointly sponsored pension plans.
Schedule 7: Ministry of Government and Consumer Services
Reduce where operating engineers are required to supervise.
Repeal the Wireless Services Agreements Act, 2013 and harmonize with the federal government’s national wireless code.
Schedule 8: Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
Modernize and streamline administrative requirements for the operators of long-term care homes.
Schedule 9: Ministry of Labour
Amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) to reduce regulatory burden on businesses, including no longer requiring them to obtain approval from the Director of Employment Standards for excess hours of work and overtime averaging.
Stop requiring employers to post the Employment Standards Act (ESA) poster in the workplace, but retain the requirement that they provide the poster to employees.
Amend the Labour Relations Act, 1995 to explicitly deem public bodies, including municipalities, school boards, hospitals, colleges and universities, as “non-construction employers”.
Schedule 10: Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Introduce a new economic development tool and remove planning barriers to expedite major business investments and speed up approvals by about two years.
Schedule 11: Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
Amend the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005 to reduce administrative burdens.
Schedule 12: Ministry of Transportation
Allow electronic documentation for International Registration Plans
Purpose of the Act
The proposed Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018 is the second package in the Ontario Open for Business Plan that helps the government reduce its red tape. The Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018 was the first step by the government to eliminate unnecessary costs and burdens to businesses in Ontario. The government is committed to bringing forward a series of red tape reduction packages over the coming years to eliminate or reduce costly requirements on Ontario businesses, while improving Ontario’s competitiveness.
