October 27, 2020
The City is cutting red tape and reducing barriers to make it easier for businesses and industry to be successful.
As part of ongoing improvement efforts, the City presented Council with the Reductions to Small Business Regulations report. This work will enable more effective and efficient service delivery, while reducing the regulatory burden faced by Edmonton’s businesses.
The report outlines specific actions to improve permits and licensing services. Multiple improvements include:
- Setting service levels (timeline targets)
- Improving Commercial Permitting and Business Licensing service delivery and experience
- Regulation changes to reduce barriers
- Increased online permit services, such as online sign permits
- Leveraging technology through remote video inspections and inspector route optimization
These changes remove unnecessary barriers for businesses, enhance service efficiency and enable a more timely response.
“Supporting Edmonton’s business community is even more critical given current economic challenges,” said Lana Phillips, Acting Director of Business Performance. “One of the primary ways that the City serves the community and small business owners is through permit and licence services. We have done extensive engagement with the industry and our staff to bring these significant improvements to life.”
Small businesses vary in size, and 78 per cent of businesses in Edmonton employ less than nine employees. The ability to consistently provide permit and licence services in a timely, predictable and effective way, can influence decisions to open or expand a business in Edmonton. This in turn grows prosperity for our Metro Region by driving innovation, competitiveness and relevance for our businesses at the local and global level.
