WCBs helping to reduce red tape in Atlantic Canada (Jul 18/17)



WCB Nova Scotia is working together with our colleague organizations across Atlantic Canada to reduce red tape, and make things easier
for those we serve.

Most recently, workers’ compensation organizations in New Brunswick, PEI, and Newfoundland and Labrador have joined Nova Scotia in adopting the Canada Revenue Agency’s One Business Number. The number will serveas a single identifier between the WCBs, and the federal government.

The One Business Number partnership was cited by the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness in its annual report as an area where the province is reducing red tape. 

It’s just one example of cooperation between workers’ compensation organizations in Atlantic Canada. Working to Well, our program supporting better outcomes in return to work, was developed in partnership across the organizations – four stories of success were produced together, and are shared across all jurisdictions. Costs were shared, pro-rated by population.

In Nova Scotia, our modernization efforts are also aimed at making the WCB easier to do business with – for employers, for workers, and for
health service providers.

Collectively, the report says red-tape reductions across Nova Scotia in areas such as trucking, procurement, occupational health and safety, and insurance will save business more than $5.3 million annually.  This figure does not yet include the savings that will realized by the Atlantic compensation boards’ One Business Number partnership, which will be shared in a future report.

The Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness, now in its second year, functions as a joint office of the four Atlantic provinces to reduce the undue provincial burden on businesses. It also leads efforts to align regulatory systems to make it easier and less costly to do business across the region.