Presentation by Roseanne Sovka, Regulatory Reform Branch, Province of British Columbia, Canada, at the Workshop on the Elaboration and Evaluation of RIA at sub-national Level, Cuernavaca Morelos, Mexico, 11-12 November 2014, Session 7. Further information is available at http://www.oecd.org/gov/regulatory-policy/

1. Regulatory Reform in British Columbia, Canada
OECD Workshops, Cuernavaca, Mexico November 2014

2. Session 7: Consultation

3. Overview
3
Requirement to consult
Types of consultation
Consultation portal
Examples

4. Requirement
Government required to consult interested and affected parties on the development or amendment of regulations
Imbedded in the Request for Legislation Template
Requires information on:
who has or will be consulted
who supports the proposal and who doesn't
If consultation does not occur, Ministries must provide an indication of any anticipated support or lack of support

5. Purpose
Obtain feedback from the affected groups on the regulatory proposal
Ensure alternative solutions or options are considered
Ensure consideration of implications
Practical results
Impact on small businesses
Increase awareness of change
Determine the level of support for the change

6. Types of Consultation
Size and scope depend on the regulations and the number of people or groups affected
Each ministry guides the development of its own consultation plan
Accountability is captured in the RFL template

7. Examples of Stakeholders
Citizens and community groups
Consumer groups
Non-governmental organizations
Provinces, territories, municipalities
Industry groups
Business community / individual companies
Professional associations

8. Consultation Portal
govTogetherBC – hub for govt engagement opportunities
Supports BC in its objective to become more transparent and accessible.
Provides citizens with opportunities to provide input on proposed changes
Example: Franchises Act consultations
Presents results and findings from past consultations
Example: BC Liquor Policy Review
8

9. govTogetherBC

10. Example - Franchises Act
Seeking stakeholder and public comment on proposed Franchises Act to:
help level the playing field for small business owners and provide certainty for investors, and
Increase consistency with legislation in five other Canadian provinces.
Following the consultation, ministry staff will review feedback and develop recommendations for proposed new legislation.
10

11. Example - Liquor Policy Review
Objective of review
First comprehensive review in 20 years
Seek public input on a regulatory regime that has become outdated, overly complex and excessive
Make substantive reforms that are comprehensive, balanced and responsive to needs of the affected stakeholders
Two phases:
Minister’s letter to key industry groups and stakeholders
Website inviting feedback online
Consultation report informed discussion and decision by government about the proposed changes

12. Liquor Policy Consultation Results
73 recommendations

13. Liquor Policy Consultation Results
Extent of the consultations:
65 meetings in 87 days
188 submissions from industry, local government, First Nations, police, health and social policy associations
Social media: Twitter town hall, Parliamentary Secretary’s blog, radio talk back
Informed final report

14. Questions?
14

15. Regulatory Reform in British Columbia, Canada
OECD Workshops, Cuernavaca, Mexico November 2014