Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Growth Bulletin: Cutting Red Tape in the Mining Sector

March 31, 2017 – The Ontario government is seeking input from businesses, Indigenous communities and the public to help identify and improve regulations that are unclear, redundant or unnecessarily costly for the mining sector.

Feedback can be provided online by visiting Ontario.ca/RedTapeChallenge, a crowd-sourced platform that gives businesses and other interested Ontarians the chance to review current regulations and suggest improvements. The deadline for submissions is May 31, 2017.

The Red Tape Challenge is making it easier for businesses to interact with government, innovate and grow without jeopardizing essential standards that protect the public interest.

Mining is the fourth sector of focus for the Red Tape Challenge. Previous sectors included automotive parts manufacturing, food processing and financial services. Future consultations will focus on chemical manufacturing, forestry and tourism.

Reducing regulatory burden is part of Ontario’s plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.

Quick Facts

  • In 2016, Ontario’s mineral production value was $10.6 billion. The total number of direct jobs in mineral production is over 26,000. Mineral production also supports an additional 50,000 indirect jobs that are associated with mineral processing and manufacturing.
  • Ontario encourages development of mineral resources in a way that is consistent with the recognition and affirmation of existing Aboriginal and treaty rights, respectful of private landowners, and minimizes environmental impact.
  • Ontario’s 2016 Burden Reduction Report highlighted significant progress. It featured 26 initiatives across government and determined that the government’s burden reduction efforts have saved businesses a total of $122 million since 2011, surpassing the province’s goal to save businesses $100 million by 2017.
  • The Red Tape Challenge is part of Ontario’s five-year, $400 million Business Growth Initiative, which is helping to grow the economy and create jobs by promoting an innovation-based economy, helping small companies to scale up and modernizing regulations for businesses.

Quotes

“We want to ensure Ontario’s mining industry continues to thrive. We can do that by reducing barriers to doing business here without compromising the public’s safety or best interests. That’s why we are asking the public and those who work in the mining industry for input to help promote growth and strengthen Ontario’s economy.”

Brad Duguid
Minister of Economic Development and Growth

“Ontario is committed to ensuring our province is the global leader in mining, so that our mineral sector can continue to provide significant social and economic contributions to the economy. The Red Tape Challenge is an opportunity for industry to take a look at our mining regulations and help us make Ontario an even more attractive place to do business.”

Bill Mauro
Minister of Northern Development and Mines

Media Contacts
Jessica Hume
Communications Branch
jessica.hume@ontario.ca
416-325-2479

Daniel Bitonti
Minister’s Office
daniel.bitonti@ontario.ca
416-325-7569

For the original source of this news release, click here: https://news.ontario.ca/medg/en/2017/03/cutting-red-tape-in-the-mining-sector.html