Amendments to Fair Registration Practices Act Reduce Red Tape for Regulators

Proposed amendments to the Fair Registration Practices Act (FRPA) will help simplify administrative requirements for regulatory bodies and professional associations so they can spend more time on their work serving the public. These changes are the first significant changes made to the act since it came into effect in 2008.

“Regulatory bodies and professional associations are staffed by dedicated Nova Scotians who work hard to support their membership,” said Jill Balser, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration. “We listened to their feedback and conducted research to find ways to cut down on time-consuming paperwork and make it easier to conduct their work overseeing regulatory requirements for their industry.”

The proposed amendments apply to sections 15 and 16 of the act and will reduce and clarify the information regulatory bodies must include in review reports, non-compliant action plans and annual registration information. It will also extend the time to submit review reports from two to five years.

A regulatory body oversees and sets the standards for specific industries and practices. Everyone who works in a provincially regulated occupation must be registered with a regulatory body. These may be professional associations, boards or societies. They are responsible for a broad range of services, such as professional practices, safety, labour market issues, and skills and learning.

Quotes:

“The changes to the Fair Registration Practices Act will decrease the workload while still safeguarding the system. The change from two to five years for the reporting requirements is a positive step forward and is similar to most professional accreditation review schedules. Having completed yearly reports for FRPA, I can say that the new format and questions are less repetitive and still provide the useful information that the Province will need to evaluate the health of the specific profession.”

– Louis LeBel, Executive Director, TechNova, Society of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists

“NSCCT is fully supportive of the planned legislative amendments to the FRPA. The improvements introduced to the process between the last two reporting periods in terms of clarifying requirements and enhancing reporting efficiency were welcomed by the college and well worth codifying within the legislative framework itself. From our perspective, stretching the intervals between reports for regulators who have proven to be substantially compliant would offer the advantage of allowing time for ongoing internal review and evaluation of registration processes to help incorporate the principles of FRPA further into the culture of the regulator.”

– John Hubert, Executive Director and Registrar, Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists

“Cosmetology is a continuously evolving industry and, in more recent years, has seen an enormous influx of immigrants to Nova Scotia requesting licensing in one cosmetology skill or another. On average, the Cosmetology Association has upwards of 150 applicants per year from out of province or country. Prior to the proposed amendments, the association had some difficulty in reporting as a vast majority of the association’s members hold more than one licence in cosmetology. Simplifying reporting requirements will greatly assist reporting in this area. The Cosmetology Association will continue to ensure ease of access and provide alternate pathways to licensure with the Cosmetology Association of Nova Scotia.”

– A.R. (Bobbi) Brooks, Legal Compliance Co-ordinator and Executive Assistant to the Executive Director, Cosmetology Association of Nova Scotia

Quick Facts:

• there are more than 47 regulating bodies in Nova Scotia, covering 59 occupations and 21 designated trades
• the Fair Registration Practices Act was enacted in 2008 to ensure that regulating bodies have registration practices that are transparent, objective, impartial and procedurally fair
• according to the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness, Nova Scotia has reduced the regulatory burden for businesses for net savings of $50 million annually
• Canadian Small Business Week runs from October 17 to 23

Additional Resources:

The bill is available at: https://nslegislature.ca/legislative-business/bills-statutes/bills/assembly-64-session-1

Nova Scotia’s Fair Registration Practices Act: https://novascotia.ca/lae/fair-registration-practices/