CFIB’s 17th Annual Red Tape Awareness Week will run from January 26th to 30th. The purpose of the week is to highlight the downsides of red tape, such as wasted time, energy and money.

Brianna Solberg, CFIB’s Provincial Affairs Director, says that while some regulation is necessary, going overboard can actually lead to more problems.

“Red tape and regulation doesn’t create safety or fairness when it’s outdated and duplicative, it just adds cost. Small businesses also don’t have compliance departments, their owner is the compliance department. When it comes to excessive regulation, small business owners are the ones having to do the homework and figure out where they’re required to meet certain rules or standards.”

She adds that every hour a small business owner spends on trying to comply with red tape, is another hour they could be growing their business.

Business owners aren’t the only ones who suffer as a result of red tape, Solberg says that members of the public often see the consequences for themselves.

“Red tape creates real world problems that affect all of the public. It will show up as higher prices, longer wait times, fewer services and less investment on behalf of businesses in the community.”

To help solve over-regulation, Solberg says she would like to see governments review regulations and update them where needed.

“We’re just calling on them to keep track of the rules and regulations that they’re adding and think about subtracting others where possible and necessary in order to reduce the overall burden. It’s just about common sense. If a rule doesn’t protect people, improve outcomes or protect people anymore, it should not be on the books.”

This year’s Red Tape Awareness Week lineup includes a report on how much time physicians spend on red tape, an ‘award’ for the most burdensome red tape, as well as an award for the most impactful red tape reduction.