City of Red Deer says they are reducing red tape and supported by the provincial government

Johnston said through the government’s Municipal Stimulus Program, they were able to demonstrate what they have done as a city to promote competitiveness and streamline their processes.

Some examples include their project to simplify the Land Use Bylaw and licensing processes as well as fast-tracking application processes online with tutorials for the public. He says while the provincial average for application process turnaround is 60 days, Red Deer is completing them in 45 days.

READ: Red Deer’s Land Use Bylaw review project aims for simplicity

He says the City has also given approval and development officers more authority to make exceptions in subdivision matters for things like setbacks and parking, which has reduced the demand on the Municipal Planning Commission. While previously, the Commission would meet weekly, with items taking six weeks to appear on the agenda, he says they now meet quarterly as a result of frontline employees being empowered in their decision-making.

“I’m happy to report that when I sit down with the [Red Deer] Construction Association, the Chamber [Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce], and BILD, which is the developer group in the city, I’m getting good feedback and fewer complaints on the length of time projects are taking so it’s certainly having an impact. We’re not done yet,” he said.

He added administration brings an annual report to council on red tape reductions and the public can expect to see more suggestions in Budget 2024.

“There’s a great deal of dialogue back and forth in terms of how we can help, and we understand that we’re far better together. Such a note of thanks for those bridges we built and those communication lanes that we’ve set up over the past couple of years; they’re really starting to work,” he said.

He says that the City will continue to advocate to the provincial government to give municipalities more authority in projects that relate to them, for example, by expanding the roles of municipal inspectors.

The provincial government says they have made legislative changes to the Municipal Government Act to make it easier for residential developers to move their projects forward by establishing timelines for subdivision and development approvals in municipalities, to reduce delays, and ensure residential construction projects are completed on time, especially as the need for housing increases. The changes also allow municipalities to create intermunicipal business licences, providing more flexibility for businesses to operate across multiple municipalities. The province says changes to empower municipalities to establish entertainment districts help Albertans and visitors to better support small businesses, socialize, and enjoy themselves in a responsible manner.

READ: Ross Street Patio designated as Red Deer’s first Entertainment District

Since 2019, the provincial government says that due to the input from industry panels, seven red tape reduction bills have been passed, enabling legislative changes from across government, almost 700 red tape reduction initiatives have been completed, and 40 of those responded directly to red tape reduction ideas from Albertans, such as eliminating licence plate registration stickers.

The Alberta government states that by updating rules and improving procedures, Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction has saved Albertans and Alberta businesses $2.75 billion.

“Our approach for getting out of the way of business was to empower it. We wanted them to tell us what we could do to enhance competitiveness and drive investment in Alberta. Red tape reduction is an example of what incredible things can be achieved when government listens to and works with businesses,” said Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction.

The province says red tape reduction is also about making Alberta communities more attractive places to do business.

Some recent changes to the Land Titles Act removed the requirements for handwritten signatures on selected documents that are electronically submitted to the Land Titles Office, with the goal of making it easier for Albertans to submit legal documents when they are buying or selling property. The Alberta government says they also eliminated the backlog at the Land Titles Office by increasing staffing and improving processes, supporting economic growth, and improving service delivery.

In January, changes to cannabis regulations came into effect regarding how and where retailers can operate, with all restrictions around consumption remaining the same. The province says the goal for this change was to make it easier for businesses to operate so a healthy legal retail market can help combat the illegal market.

The government says they continue to receive recommendations on ways to reduce red tape through regular meetings with business and industry leaders and Albertans through a dedicated website.

(With files from the Alberta Government)

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by rdnewsNOW Staff

City of Red Deer says they are reducing red tape and supported by the provincial government

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