Ontario Reducing Red Tape, Saving Taxpayers Money and Boosting Economic Growth

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Ontario Reducing Red Tape, Saving Taxpayers Money and Boosting Economic Growth

Proposed legislation will improve management of the province’s realty assets and modernize environmental assessment process

TORONTO — Today, Ontario introduced the Reducing Inefficiencies Act (Infrastructure Statute Law Amendments), 2023 that, if passed, will enhance fiscal management, cut red tape, and save taxpayers dollars. The proposed legislation would allow the province to improve the management of real estate and bring efficiency changes to the environmental assessment process.

“Our government is looking to take another meaningful step towards reducing inefficiency and improving oversight with the introduction of the Reducing Inefficiencies Act (Infrastructure Statute Law Amendments), 2023,” said Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure. “The changes introduced today, if passed, would help our government cut red tape, save taxpayers money, and streamline processes so we can continue to practice good governance on behalf of the people of Ontario.”

As part of the proposed legislation,a framework would be established to modify the real estate authority of 14 entities which are under the oversight of eight ministries and provide the Minister of Infrastructure with the ability to oversee and manage this real estate. This will be done through amendments to the Ministry of Infrastructure Act, 2011 and complementary amendments to nine other Acts.

The proposed legislation, if passed, would also allow the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, on a project-specific basis, to alter or waive the 30-day waiting period for Class Environmental Assessments projects. The government is modernizing its almost 50-year-old environmental assessment process that is too slow, too costly, and too burdensome. The proposed changes will help projects get built faster, without compromising environmental standards and protections.

Quick Facts

The proposed legislative amendments in the Reducing Inefficiencies Act (Infrastructure Statute Law Amendments), 2023, if passed, will address the 2017 Auditor General’s report and other third-party reports that have identified opportunities for the province to deliver the real estate portfolio more efficiently through initiatives that centralize authority and decision-making.
Class environmental assessments are a simplified assessment process that sets out requirements for consultation, impact assessment and mitigation for projects with routine and predictable effects (e.g., municipal roads).