Vancouver, BC - The BC Progress Board released a discussion paper on regulatory reform today entitled "Economic Growth Through Regulatory Reform". The paper highlights the important role the design of regulatory policy – enacted by all orders of government – plays in building a competitive economy.

"The Progress Board commends the province for exceeding its target to reduce provincial regulation by one-third", commented David Black, BC Progress Board Chair and President of Black Press Ltd. "As a Board, we have also identified the need for ongoing, concerted regulatory reform as an essential ingredient for sustained improvement in overall provincial economic performance", Black continued.

The Progress Board provides five primary suggestions for action by the Government of British Columbia:

• The provincial government should make an enduring political commitment to continuous regulatory reform which usefully could be enunciated in legislation or a public statement;



• To drive regulatory reform, the provincial government could form an oversight committee of senior government officials (Ministers and Deputy Ministers) drawing on expertise outside government where warranted;



• The provincial government should reduce and prevent regulatory overlap and duplication by coordinating and harmonizing regulatory activities wherever possible within the provincial government and with the federal, other provincial, and local governments;



• The provincial government should consider thorough and focused sector-by-sector reviews in priority areas designed to achieve the greatest benefit at minimum cost. The Progress Board suggests land use regulation be a top priority; and,



• The provincial government should commit to regular progress reporting on regulatory reform as presently is the case.

Since the mid-1990s, the 30 member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has promoted regulatory reform to enhance economic growth and "public interest" objectives throughout the world.

"The province has taken significant steps in the past few years to improve and streamline regulation", noted Tim McEwan, Executive Director of the Progress Board. "British Columbia should aim to be a global leader in implementing efficient, streamlined regulation which also meets key public interest objectives such as environmental protection and health and safety", McEwan concluded.