CME asks Ontario government to reduce red tape for manufacturers
Canadian Plastics
Canadian PlasticsThe organization also came out in support of the government’s new announcement to eliminate legal impediments to implement Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) in Ontario.
The Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) has asked the Ontario government to reduce red tape by $700 million over the next four years to help secure long-term investment as the province moves to create an advanced manufacturing strategy.
CME has also applauded the government for a new step in that direction.
“Unnecessary, duplicative processes and red tape can plague all critical elements of doing business in Ontario – from hiring, to building a new facility or exporting,” said CME president and CEO Dennis Darby in a Nov. 22 statement. “It has been refreshing to see the government of Ontario set a specific objective for regulatory burden reduction – $576M over the last four years, and then meet that objective.”
At a recent roundtable discussion with Parm Gill, Minister of Red Tape Reduction, CME members say they discussed the three key themes of labour and human resources, transportation and supply chain, and employment lands and real estate. “We had a great discussion, and we all know the work is not over,” Darby said. “We need to keep challenging ourselves to find reductions, and with the provincial government’s leadership, we can strip away the red tape and get to our goal.”
And on Nov. 23, CME came out in support of the Ontario government’s announcement to eliminate legal impediments to implement Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) in Ontario, as part of the Less Red Tape, Stronger Ontario Act.
“Removing the legislative prohibition of CCUS is a welcome first step to enable the practice in Ontario,” Darby said. “As evidenced in CME’s Low Carbon Transition Survey published earlier this year, manufacturers rank investment in this technology as a top policy priority to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.”
In addition, the Act exempts customer-funded electricity transmission projects from the Ontario Energy Board leave-to-construct process. This change, which is effective immediately, aims to reduce duplication in approvals, saving time and money for manufacturers seeking to connect to Ontario’s electricity grid.
