Municipalities have role to play in growing the economy
St. John’s, January 25, 2017 – The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) released a report on municipal regulations titled “The Municipal Red Tape Puzzle”. The report provides an analysis of the municipal regulatory burden in Newfoundland and Labrador’s 25 largest municipalities and finds each municipality can find ways to improve.
“In order to address our fiscal situation, diversification is commonly cited as the solution, particularly by the provincial government,” said Vaughn Hammond, Director of Provincial Affairs for Newfoundland and Labrador. “However, what is often excluded is a discussion on the impact municipal regulations have in encouraging entrepreneurship in the province.”
The report seeks to raise awareness of the effect municipal regulations can have on economic development. Municipal regulations are a fact of life for business owners. They have to regularly deal with property taxation and assessments, obtaining permits and licences, and approval to operate in a designated area or zone. The report provides simple and easy recommendations municipalities can adopt.
“If we are to grow our way out of our current situation, municipalities have a definite role in making it easier to do business in the province,” stated Hammond. “We hope municipalities will seriously consider the findings of this report and take the appropriate action to show they are truly open for business.”
A copy of the report and a list of the recommendations are available here: The Municipal Red Tape Puzzle.
For further information, contact Vaughn Hammond at 709-753-7745 or vaughn.hammond@cfib.ca.
CFIB is Canada’s largest association of small- and medium-sized businesses with 109,000 members across every sector and region.
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