Cutting Unnecessary Red Tape Act, 2017

Description of Act

The proposed Cutting Unnecessary Red Tape Act, 2017, if passed, would make the following legislative changes:

Schedule 1
Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs

• Amendments to the Farming and Food Production Protection Act to improve processes of the Normal Farm Practices Protection Board which would enable the Minister to appoint multiple vice-chairs to the Board.

Schedule 2
Ministry of the Attorney General

• Amendments to the Charities Accounting Act to add three new sections, which would allow charities to make social investments that help further their purposes and achieve a financial return. The amendments would exempt social investing activities from the prudent investor rules.
• A number of amendments to the Courts of Justice Act, including:
  • Allowing people over the age of 64 to apply to become judges.
  • Making certain tribunal costs orders under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement enforceable as court orders. The change would preserve the ability of Ontario businesses and the Ontario government to challenge trade barriers in other provinces and territories under the CFTA.
• An amendment to the Notaries Act to remove the requirement for a non-lawyer notary public to be a Canadian citizen.
• Amendments to the Juries Act to permit electronic options for jurors to return their jury eligibility questionnaires and to receive jury summonses. The deadline for returning a jury questionnaire would be extended from five to 30 days.

Schedule 3
Employers and Employees Act would be repealed

• The Act is largely obsolete due to the introduction of employment standards legislation and human trafficking provisions in the Criminal Code which prohibit slavery.

Schedule 4
Ministry of Economic Development and Growth

• The proposed Reducing Regulatory Costs for Business Act, 2017 would be a new statute with the purpose of reducing regulatory costs for businesses operating in Ontario.

Schedule 5
Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change

• Amendments to the Pesticides Act and Environmental Protection Act to transition the pesticide licensing program from paper-based to online service delivery. Licences would be issued automatically online if prescribed requirements are met, and certain information about pesticide licences would be made publically available.

Schedules 6-9
Ministry of Government and Consumer Services

• Amendments to modernize Ontario’s corporate and commercial laws and enable full online delivery and access of all companies and business services
• Amendments to the Land Titles Act and the Registry Act to allow individuals to be shown as the registered owner of land or a charge using a single name.
• Amendments to the Land Registration Reform Act to allow for the electronic registration of survey plans.

Schedule 10
Ministry of Municipal Affairs

• Amendments to the Municipal Elections Act to allow that, when meeting on an application for a compliance audit, compliance audit committees may deliberate in private when making their decisions.

Schedule 11
Accessibility Amendments

• Amendments to 13 pieces of legislation to allow government websites to meet international web accessibility standards. Changes would include removing inaccessible content or features such as scanned images, missing descriptions on tables or inaccessible form graphics.

Purpose of Act

• The proposed Cutting Unnecessary Red Tape Bill, 2017 is the second annual burden reduction bill.
• The first annual burden reduction bill, Bill 27, was introduced in September 2016 and passed March 2017.
• The objective of this annual legislation is to reduce regulatory burdens and practices that cost businesses time and money, while protecting environmental and health standards and enhancing worker safety

Public consultation

This proposal was posted for a 33 day public review and comment period starting September 15, 2017. Comments were to be received by October 18, 2017.

All comments received during the comment period are being considered as part of the decision-making process by the Ministry.

Please Note: All comments and submissions received have become part of the public record.

Other public consultation opportunities

This proposal has been posted for a 33 day public review and comment period starting Friday, September 15, 2017. If you have any questions, or would like to submit your comments, please do so by October 18, 2017 to the individuals listed under "Contact". Additionally, you may submit your comments on-line.

All comments received prior to October 18, 2017 will be considered as part of the decision-making process by the Ministry if they are submitted in writing or electronically using the form provided in this notice and referencing EBR Registry number 013-1477

Please Note: All comments and submissions received will become part of the public record. Comments received as part of the public participation process for this proposal will be considered by the decision maker for this proposal.

Your personal information may be used in the decision making process on this proposal and it may be used to contact you if clarification of your comment is required. It may be shared (along with your comment) with other Ontario Ministries for use in the decision making process. Questions about this collection should be directed to the contact mentioned on the Proposal Notice page.

Other public consultation opportunities

A copy of the proposed legislation is available at this link.

Details regarding Schedule 5 (Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change - Moving Pesticide Licensing Program from Paper-Based to Digital).