Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The CFFO Commentary: Red Tape Report Card shows Ontario is heading in the Right Direction

By Nathan Stevens
January 27, 2012
 
The burden of over-regulation is wearing thin for many farmers in Ontario. Red tape is being sighted as a key constraint for small and medium businesses across Canada. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has made this issue one of their key issues, and published its annual report card on red tape in Canada earlier this month.
 
Perhaps surprisingly to some farmers, Ontario rated a B- this year, which is a substantial improvement over the C- from the 2011 report card. The CFIB report card measures a variety of factors in determining how well a province is doing. For example, does the government actively measure regulatory burden? Has it implemented an on-going measurement? Has it imposed constraints on regulators? Have they made regular accountability a political priority?
 
On the upside, the Premier promised to reduce red tape by 25 per cent in 2011 and considerable efforts were made to remove a large number of outdated regulations. Constraints were placed on regulators which require that for every new regulation imposed on business, two must be eliminated. Furthermore, proposed regulations must be posted for public comment, while new ones can only be implemented twice a year.
 
However, on the downside, there is no legislated requirement to report on regulatory burden annually, nor are their on-going measurements that are being used to measure the burden over time. This means that the relatively good score of B- this year may just be an anomaly, rather than the first step towards scoring an A.
 
The CFIB report also offers some insight on how to improve dealing with regulatory burden. One of the more interesting ideas is to have a cabinet minister focused on regulatory oversight. CFIB points out that we all take for granted the importance of a Ministry of Finance when it comes to handling the spending of government dollars. The CFIB draws a parallel arguing that a cabinet member focused on regulatory oversight could control the proliferation of regulations.
 
The CFIB report card is successfully raising awareness of the burden of over-regulation throughout Canada. It is important to remember that regulations have a role in assuring public safety, establishing industry standards and meeting a variety of other worthwhile objectives. However, there is also the need for businesses to be competitive in a global environment. Finding the right balance is the difficult task of all regulators.

 
 

Nathan Steven is the Research & Policy Advisor for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. The CFFO Commentary is heard weekly on CFCO Chatham, CKNX Wingham, and UCB Canada radio stations in Chatham, Belleville, Bancroft, Brockville and Kingston and in Brantford and Woodstock. It is also found on the CFFO website: www.christianfarmers.org. CFFO is supported by 4,200 family farmers across Ontario.

Views: 72

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Waterloo Farmer Convicted for Breaking Detention

On April 27, 2023, investigators with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness’ Regulatory Compliance Unit executed a Provincial Offences Act search warrant at Joris Salverda’s farm in Wilmot on an unrelated matter. Investigators found unlabelled meat product and subsequently detained it to determine if it was from an inspected source. Detention involved marking a potentially non-compliant product with a detention tag and placing it in a freezer or cooler to preserve its integrity until it could be determined whether the meat product was compliant. No person shall move or interfere with a thing that has been detained unless authorized or required to do so by an inspector. Later, officers conducted an inspection at Salverda’s farm and discovered the detained meat product had been removed without authorization. Following an investigation into the movement of the unlabelled meat product, Salverda was charged with one count of breaking detention of a thing without autho

Guelph Business Owner Convicted of Obstructing Inspectors

Background: On October 4, 2023 and January 10, 2024, Compliance and Advisory Officers with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (then the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) attended Klops Meat and Deli for the purpose of verifying compliance. On both occasions, the owner/operator, Leszek Rzeznik, refused the inspectors entry to complete an inspection. Subsequently, investigators in the Ministry’s Regulatory Compliance Unit initiated an investigation that resulted in Rzeznik being charged with two counts of obstructing an inspector under the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001. On January 8, 2025, after a trial in absentia, Rzeznik was convicted on both counts by Justice of the Peace Michael Cuthbertson. Rzeznik was fined $3,000 for each count, plus a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, which totalled $7,500.

York Region Man Convicted of Obstructing an Inspector

Background: On September 25, 2024, an inspector from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness appointed under the Food Safety Quality Act, 2001 attended Ve & Be Corporation at 793 Alness Street to conduct an unannounced inspection. As a free-standing, licenced meat plant, the business is subject to inspection by ministry inspectors. When the inspector arrived, the plant operator, Andrei Berliaev, behaved in an aggressive manner and prevented the inspector from conducting the inspection. The inspector then left the plant and withdrew the inspection. Following an investigation, Berliaev was charged with one count of obstructing an inspector under the Food Safety Quality Act, 2001.

From soil to supper – how farmers care for the Earth all year long

Every April, countries around the world mark Earth Day – an excellent and vital opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of caring for and protecting our environment. As farmers, we often like to say that every day is Earth Day on the farm, and while that sounds a bit cliched, it actually is very true. That’s because in raising livestock and growing crops of all kinds, farmers work very directly with the soil, the air, and the water every single day. The weather is our constant companion and more than almost anything else, will influence the kind of year we’re going to have. Whether it’s too much or too little rain, temperatures that are hotter or colder than normal, or snow, ice and rain storms, it all impacts the quality and quantity of the products we’re able to produce on our farms. I farm near Burford close to Brantford with my wife and son where we raise sheep and grow hay, corn, and soybeans as well as a biomass crop called miscanthus. I’m also a director on the bo

Q+A: Trevor Jones to draw on experience as Ontario agriculture minister

Chatham-Kent–Leamington MPP Trevor Jones is settling into his role as Ontario agriculture, food and agribusiness minister. The former Leamington town councillor and OPP officer was named to cabinet last month in just his second term as an MPP. We asked Jones about his new role in cabinet. His responses have been edited for style and brevity. Q: Just beginning your second term as an MPP, can you describe the honour of being named minister for a portfolio as prominent as Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness? A: It is an honour . . . I grew up and continue to live and raise my family in Chatham-Kent-Leamington, where our communities have a long tradition of farming, greenhouse growing and food processing. As such, I developed a strong appreciation for this sector and remain inspired by the hard-working people who feed Canada and the world. Early in my career with the OPP, I earned a position on the Emergency Response Team and . . . was given the opportunity to work with members of the

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service