Part 2: Our guiding principles

For the last year and a half, we’ve been working to restore the competitive advantage that helped make Ontario the economic engine of Canada.

We’re taking a thoughtful, targeted approach to eliminating unnecessary red tape in Ontario. Each decision we make is informed by the following five guiding principles:

  1. Protecting health, safety and the environment - Change is necessary, but not if it’s just for the sake of change itself. We’re not trying to fix what isn’t broken. Many regulations are in place for very good reasons — like protecting our drinking water and keeping workers safe on the job. We’ve set our sights on the red tape that’s dragging people and businesses down. That’s why as we work to ease the regulatory burden, we are doing so in a smart, careful way to ensure that health, safety and environmental protections are maintained or enhanced.
  2. Prioritizing the important issues — even if they’re tough - Fixing Ontario’s bloated and broken regulatory framework is a big job — but it’s a necessary one. As we work to deliver smarter government for the province, we are carefully assessing which regulations cost people and business the most time and money while looking for innovative, modern ways to ensure these rules are as effective and efficient as possible.
  3. Harmonizing rules with Ottawa and other provinces where we can - We know how hard it is to start and run a business. It’s complex enough without having to figure out how to jump through unnecessary regulatory hoops. There are few things more frustrating than spending the time to comply with federal regulatory requirements, only to be asked to do the same thing slightly differently to satisfy provincial requirements. That’s why we’re targeting duplicative red tape and aligning where we can — to eliminate those steps that cost job-creators time and money while providing no value to the people of Ontario.
  4. Listening to you - Whether you’re a business owner or an everyday Ontarian who cares about making Ontario work better, we’re listening. We want to hear from you about what we can do to remove red tape and create the right conditions for businesses and communities to prosper.
  5. Whole-of-government approach - Regulations don’t just fall under one ministry — they span the entire government. That’s why we’re taking a highly coordinated approach and making sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to our red tape reduction strategy. Approaching this with a whole-of-government perspective fits with our mission to deliver smarter government for Ontario with the economic growth to match — so we can build Ontario, together.