BOWDEN — Although the provincial government has a big push on to reduce "red tape' (too many bureaucratic rules and regulations), Bowden chief administrative officer Greg Skotheim says a Municipal Affairs official who attended a meeting of town administrators had no idea how that will happen.
Skotheim made that point during a meeting of Bowden town council.
This spring, the newly elected United Conservative Party government introducted Bill 4, the Red Tape Reduction Act. Its purpose is to eliminate or reduce regulations that are deemed to be unnecessary and are hindering business development, especially small businesses.
Skotheim said the matter arose during a Local Government Administration Association (LGAA) quarterly meeting in Penhold. Representatives of Municipal Affairs attended that gathering.
"At that meeting, the red tape reduction, the person from Municipal Affairs had no idea what that actually meant, though. But they've been told, red tape reduction is a big thing from the government," Skotheim told councillors.
"She said we don't know how we're going to do it," he added. "I thought that was interesting."
Mayor Rob Stuart indicated support for the concept.
"Sounds good; get rid of a thousand forms that you have to fill in there," he said.
In an email to the Albertan, Jerrica Goodwin, with the province's Treasury Board and Finance department, said the Red Tape Reduction Act was passed on June 10 and received Royal Assent (thus officially becoming law) on June 28.
Goodwin said the provincial government is forming panels of experts to make suggestions on what "industry-specific" red tape can be cut.
"We are currently:
· creating an inventory of current regulations and assess if they are effective;
· focusing on outcomes instead of processes to ensure all regulations are necessary, effective, efficient and proportional to their intended outcome;
· developing red tape reduction plans in all departments to make sure current and new regulations are free of red tape; and
· coordinating cross-government activities and reporting on outcomes to make this initiative fully transparent to Albertans," she wrote.
"We have already begun cutting red tape and our progress can be followed online at CutRedTape.alberta.ca," Goodwin added.
