Non-urgent government operations are closed December 24 to January 1, reopening January 2. See the list of services available during this time.
Making government work better
Removing needless red tape – such as duplicate processes and rules that do not add protections – will save time, money, and resources while still protecting the environment, keeping Albertans safe and healthy, and upholding fiscal accountability.
Our goal is to make it easier for people to get the government services they need and reduce the regulatory burden on job creators to encourage investment, boost Alberta’s competitiveness, and get more Albertans back to work.
Have an idea?
If you have come across a government process that is too complex, takes too long, serves no purpose, or is duplicative or wasteful, let us know about it. Submissions will be reviewed and sent to the responsible ministry for consideration and follow up.
Industry engagement
In addition to receiving feedback from the general public, we have established 9 industry panels to solicit specific feedback from key industries and the non-profit sector. The panels meet biannually and report key findings to the minister.
Reports and fact sheets
We have completed hundreds of red tape reduction initiatives. More than half respond to ideas submitted by Albertans, recommendations from key stakeholders and industry panels, as well as platform commitments. Current efforts have produced hundreds of millions in savings for Alberta’s job creators and government.
Reports
Fact sheets and infographics
- Supporting Alberta’s education sector
- Supporting Alberta every day
- Supporting continuous improvement
- Supporting summer fun
- Supporting Alberta’s chemical manufacturing sector
- Supporting Alberta’s industrial manufacturing sector
- Supporting Alberta’s construction sector
- Supporting Alberta’s non-profit organizations
- Supporting the natural gas and electricity industries
- Supporting forestry and agriculture
- Supporting small businesses
- Supporting small producers in Alberta
- Supporting the tourism and hospitality industry
Key accomplishments
Workers’ Compensation Act: Provided easier access to workers’ compensation benefits to firefighters who fought the 2016 Fort McMurray fire and are diagnosed with certain cancers. Specifically, it eliminated the exposure period requirement for workers’ compensation cancer presumptions for these firefighters and simplified the workers’ compensation claim process by eliminating the steps required to link a diagnosis to the job.
Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Amendment Act: Promoted economic growth by enabling municipalities to create entertainment districts - designated public areas where adults may responsibly consume alcohol, helping revitalize communities, promote tourism and support local businesses.
Irrigation Districts Act: Enabled irrigation districts to ensure the best use and allocation of Alberta’s water resources. This included support of modern communication methods for public notification, broader tools to stop water delivery to those misusing water, and expansion of Irrigation Council membership to ensure better response to the needs of districts and water users.
Streamlined post-secondary program approval processes: Eliminated unnecessary application requirements, enabling post-secondary institutions to undertake independent reviews and improve turnaround times for program approvals to give post-secondary institutions more flexibility to develop new and innovative programs that respond to student and labour market needs.
Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Education Act: Helped address labour shortages in the skilled trades, and positioned the trades for future growth by making it easier for Albertans to gain employable skills in a wider variety of sectors.
Drove financial innovation: Introduced a “regulatory sandbox” to allow financial technology companies to test new, innovative products without having to immediately comply with all regulatory requirements. Alberta was the first province to establish a sandbox of this kind, continuing to provide a strong incentive for new and existing technology companies to operate in the province.
Responding to feedback
Almost 700 red tape reduction initiatives have been completed to date. Nearly 200 of these completed initiatives address recommendations from industry panels, priority stakeholders and the public.
What Albertans say
It has been very satisfying seeing how in just 2 short years, the Agriculture, Food and Bio-Industrial Panel has seen nearly 70% of the recommendations for red tape reduction be either fully completed or are nearly complete. This is saving our industry in both time and money.”
– Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, CEO, CL Ranches Ltd.
I want to commend Alberta’s government for amending trespass legislation to clarify and raise the profile of the right of landowners to control access to their property. This renewed focus on property rights is a refreshing and positive step forward for property owners in Alberta.”
– Peter J. Dobbie, KC, farmers’ and property rights advocate for Alberta
We’ve been working with the government over the last number of years regarding the health impacts from the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire and the needed support for firefighters and their families, and we’re grateful to see this cancer coverage moving forward.”
– Matt Osborne, president, Alberta Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics Association
Supporting a healthy business community is a priority for municipalities in local and regional economic development efforts. Reducing red tape and barriers to utilizing intermunicipal business licences and other regional approaches to economic development is an important step in allowing municipalities to play a larger role in growing their local and regional economies.”
– Paul McLauchlin, president, Rural Municipalities of Alberta
Critical to the success of all businesses in Alberta is the ability to execute their growth plans and not face significant barriers to growth. Streamlining approval processes significantly helps businesses accelerate the pace at which they scale up and expand operations, and positions Alberta as attractive for investment that will not only diversify our economy but also bring new ideas, talent and innovation. All of this is important for Alberta's economic future.”
– Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO, Calgary Chamber of Commerce
News
It's the law
The Red Tape Reduction Act was passed in 2019 that enables government to:
- create an inventory of current regulations and assess if they are effective
- focus on outcomes instead of processes to ensure all regulations are necessary, effective, efficient and proportional to their intended outcome
- develop red tape reduction plans in all departments to make sure current and new regulations are free of red tape
- coordinate cross-government activities and report on outcomes to make this initiative fully transparent to Albertans
The Red Tape Reduction Implementation Acts make necessary legislation changes.