Cape Breton municipal bylaws now online

SYDNEY — Businesses across Cape Breton can now find municipal up- to- date bylaws online.

The Cape Breton Partnership and the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness held sessions with businesses across Cape Breton in 2019. At the time, business owners said access to complete and modern regulations made it difficult to deal with local governments.

“I applaud our municipal partners for their leadership in making it easier for businesses to start up, operate and expand in Cape Breton,” said Premier Stephen McNeil, minister responsible for the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness. “The business community identified a need and local governments have developed individual plans to make meaningful adjustments to their regulations.”

The initiative is part of a broader partnership between the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness, Cape Breton Regional Municipality, the counties of Inverness, Richmond and Victoria, and the Town of Port Hawkesbury to help businesses to open, operate and expand. Each municipality has a plan to review, update and modernize their bylaws.

“If our businesses can find the information they need faster, interactions with government can be easier and less frequent. Given the current economic climate, this initiative is more relevant than ever,” said Marie Walsh, chief administrative officer, Cape Breton Regional Municipality

“With this first step, it shows our business community that local governments are listening to their concerns and want to find a better way forward together. We’re encouraged by the provincial government’s commitment to support our business community and by our local governments’ collaborative approach and leadership. We look forward to the implementation of the action plans,” said Carla Arsenault, president and CEO of the Cape Breton Partnership.