Removing red tape barriers to spur innovation
2022-08-10

Through initiatives completed by the Jobs, Economy and Innovation ministry and Alberta Innovates, the regulatory requirements removed have cleared barriers to job creation, supporting innovation and modernization for the technology and innovation sector.

“By reducing almost 60 per cent of the red tape at Alberta Innovates, it shows that with the ideas and feedback received from Albertans and Alberta businesses, we have been able to deliver significant and meaningful red tape reductions. Many of these changes have resulted in tangible benefits that put industry innovators in both core and emerging sectors in a better position to succeed, which is critical to Alberta’s long-term economic growth and diversification.”

Tanya Fir, Associate Minister of Red Tape Reduction

Alberta Innovates is a provincially funded corporation that provides funding and other supports and services to stimulate and grow research and innovation across Alberta. Recognizing that emerging sectors are critical to Alberta’s economic growth and diversification, the organization has simplified its grant applications and reporting requirements to enable easier access to more than $150 million in annual funding for the innovation sector. This means that Alberta entrepreneurs and researchers can spend less time on paperwork and more time developing innovative solutions to drive economic growth.

“High performance innovation systems depend on dozens of steps and processes that together deliver big impact. The administrative efficiencies and digital tools that we put into place, to date, have streamlined access and increased transparency for a majority of Alberta Innovates funding programs and that benefits the entrepreneurs, innovators and researchers who look to us for support.”

Laura Kilcrease, CEO, Alberta Innovates 

In May 2019, Alberta’s government identified just over 631,000 regulatory requirements and committed to eliminating one-third of this total. Since then, the government has removed four regulatory requirements for every requirement added, achieving a 26 per cent overall reduction, and 33 per cent of inherited regulatory requirements since 2019.

With hundreds of initiatives completed that cut red tape and modernize the regulatory framework, Albertans and Alberta businesses have saved more than $1.2 billion.

If Albertans come across a government process that is too complex, takes too long or is duplicative, Alberta’s government wants to know about it. Visit alberta.ca/cutredtape and click on “Email us your idea.”

Quick facts

  • More than 530 red tape reduction initiatives have been implemented so far, many of which respond directly to recommendations from Albertans, industry and other stakeholders.
  • Nine industry panels have directly informed red tape reduction work. The panels represent Alberta’s key economic sectors, including agriculture, food and bio-industrial; chemical manufacturing; construction; forestry; industrial manufacturing; non-profit; oil and gas; small business; and tourism and hospitality.
  • Six red tape reduction acts have eliminated more than 3,700 unnecessary requirements.
  • For the last three years, the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses has ranked Alberta as one of Canada’s top performers on red tape reduction. This follows a series of “F” grades in previous years.