Here’s How N.B. Will Make It Easier For Entrepreneurs To Run Their Businesses
MONCTON – The government of New Brunswick launched a pilot program that will provide entrepreneurs one-on-one help to navigate the business regulatory system, Economic Development and Small Business Minister Mary Wilson announced Wednesday night.
The Business Navigators program is a client management support initiative that will be delivered by Opportunities NB (ONB). It’s part of a government-wide move to measure and reduce regulatory burden for businesses by $14 million by March 2021.
The announcement for the Business Navigators program was made during the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards gala.
Wilson, who is also the minister responsible for ONB, said entrepreneurs have expressed frustrations about the red tape they face when wanting to start or operate a business in the province.
The program will serve as a resource for entrepreneurs starting a new business or running an existing business who need help with regulatory needs like inspections, licensing, fees and permits.
“This will be a step in the right direction towards reducing the amount of time and money you spend navigating rules and regulations,” Wilson said.
Entrepreneurs can call 1-833-799-7966 or e-mail [email protected] to contact a navigator at ONB. Two navigators are in place to connect entrepreneurs with the right government department for their needs. Each department will have two leads who will provide information to the navigators, who in turn, will inform the entrepreneur.
“Instead of people themselves getting from one department to another, they have one number they call,” Wilson said.
It’s based on a program with the same name in Nova Scotia, where Wilson said the initiative has helped new entrepreneurs reduce the time of getting their business up and running from six months to three months.
“We’re mirroring what Nova Scotia has done. They’re doing a great job. The [Canadian Federation of Independent Business] has recognized that. So we’re adopting what they’re doing because it’s working.”
Wilson said this doesn’t signal a pivot from the work of ONB, which has been attracting companies from outside and helping them open shop in New Brunswick.
“This is just adding to the great work that ONB already does. Energizing the private sector is a top priority for the Premier and this is helping the private sector navigate their way through the very complicated process of starting their own business,” she said.
John Wishart, the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Moncton, said the program is “exactly what the business community is asking for.”
“The layers of red tape, the bureaucracy, if there’s one number, one person, and they do the work for you, that’s really what we’ve been asking for,” he said.
Steve Lund, the vice-chair of the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, said it’s “something the business community needs.”
“Cutting through red tape is always a great thing. The proof will be in the pudding as to how effective it is,” he said.
Jean-Marc Picard, the chair of the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, said it’s a step in the right direction, but the government should continue to also work to reduce regulations.
“At the end of the day it can’t hurt because for someone that’s new in the business community, starting off, they want to focus on their businesses not the red tape,” he said. “But at the end of the day, we shouldn’t keep our eye off the ball when it comes to eliminating red tape.”
Just two days after the announcement, on Friday, the province also said it will launch a new tool within government that will enable regulators to quantify the regulatory burden being added or eliminated.
In addition, all departments regulating businesses in the province have been tasked to reduce the existing regulatory burden on business, and, regulators across government will work together to identify improvements to the regulatory process and minimize the impact of any new rules and regulations on business. The work will be driven by a Chief Regulatory Officer.