Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Small and medium businesses are truly the breadbasket of our territorial economy. They are willing and able, and if I may say, resilient in their ways of finding just the right way of contributing to our North, whether it’s through their volunteerism or through their donations to the communities. But first and foremost, they are certainly one of the employers that are the building blocks of our North.
Mr. Speaker, outside of the government, without the small and medium businesses, our economy would be quite fledgling, and certainly the cost of living needs to be competitive. As such, they are always concerned when a new cost of doing business is being imposed on them without really good feedback and a chance to be involved.
Mr. Speaker, as many people will know, and certainly businesses will know, that WSCC is presenting rewriting their regulations and a number of businesses are certainly concerned about what is being proposed in these regulation changes. With approximately 400 pages in updated regulations, this is causing serious concern regarding those potential impacts, and are they being sourced out and considered.
Mr. Speaker, business has expressed serious concern. To name just a few: the new levels of potential required paperwork; remote access problems required and with notice and certainly continual notice when you are off-site – sorry; traditional site, maybe your business place, you have to go to a region, that is -- the new and expanded list of requirements that they are now paid to do day to day business as well as where are they going to get the staff to do these new things that the WSCC regulations keep dreaming up? Again, I shouldn’t forget the ever-increasing costs in the administration of the WSCC, certainly to these employers.
Mr. Speaker, the employers want to be part of an open and free dialogue when the consideration on these regulations is going forward. As I understand it, the extension period has been granted to them to allow some feedback, but the big concern, of course, with this, is the fact that are these regulation updates being thought through in a way that makes sense, or are they just a new administrative burden to small and medium business, which has a serious effect on things like our tax dollars and the people that they employ, which are certainly our voters.
Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of WSCC today, highlighting some of those concerns to ensure that we have some good, clear feedback and dialogue with everyone. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
