Bill 59: new accessibility regulations must be offset for small business

Compliance costs of a new regulatory regime for small business cannot simply be ignored

Halifax, March 3, 2017 – The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling on the Nova Scotia government to ensure small businesses are not hit with another layer of cost and compliance burden resulting from the forthcoming accessibility legislation.

In a presentation to Law Amendments Committee on Bill 59, Jordi Morgan, CFIB Vice-president Atlantic, encouraged the McNeil government to follow the Premier’s own Charter of Governing Principles on Regulation and look for ways to mitigate the inevitable costs of instituting a new accessibility framework. In his presentation Morgan stated, “It is our (CFIB’s) position government must take the necessary steps to offset the compliance burden of this legislation for small business.”

CFIB agrees with the principle of ensuring equal access to all facets of life for people with differing abilities in Nova Scotia, however government must not roll out an enormous new regulatory framework without ensuring small businesses are properly prepared to comply with these new rules.

The Premiers’ Charter of Governing Principles on Regulation clearly says “Regulation should: presume the measured cost or burden of new regulation is at least offset by a reduction in the cost or burden of existing regulation.”

Morgan added in his presentation, “The purpose of this entire (regulatory reform) exercise, in the words of the Premier, is ‘to make Nova Scotia the best regulatory environment in Canada’. If these are to be more than just words, the hard work must be done to adhere to the spirit, and the words, articulated in those governing principles and truly respect the needs of all Nova Scotians.”

To arrange an interview with Jordi Morgan, contact Ryan Richard at 902-420-1997 or ryan.richard@cfib.ca.

CFIB is Canada’s largest association of small- and medium-sized businesses with 109,000 members across every sector and region, of which 5,200 are in Nova Scotia.