1 SASKATCHEWAN REGULATORY REFORM B I L L No. 233 of

An Act respecting Regulatory Reform in Saskatchewan (Assented to , 1997) HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, enacts as follows:

Short title This Act may be cited as The Saskatchewan Regulatory Reform Act. Sunset clause for all regulations 2(1) Whereas at the coming into force of this Act there exists some regulations made under various Acts of the Saskatchewan Legislature having no fixed date of expiry, it is hereby decreed that each of those regulations shall expire ten years from the date of the coming into force of this Act.

(2) No regulation made after the coming into force of this Act shall have any force or effect unless that regulation contains a clause fixing the date of expiry of that regulation at ten years from the date the regulation is made. Regulatory review process 3(1) There is hereby established an Executive Council regulatory review process, as set out in

Schedule “A”, which shall be followed with respect to every regulation in existence at the time of the coming into force of this Act, with consideration being given to the necessity and effectiveness of the regulation.

(2) There is hereby established a public regulatory review process, as set out in

Schedule “B”, which shall be followed with respect to every regulation proposed after the coming into force of this Act, with consideration being given to necessity and timeliness of the proposed regulation. Revocation and prevention of unnecessary regulations The Lieutenant Governor in Council shall: (

a) revoke any existing regulation found by the Executive Council not to satisfy the necessity and effectiveness test set out in subsection 3(1); and (

b) refrain from making any proposed regulation found by the public not to satisfy the necessity and timeliness test set out in subsection 3(2). Plain language drafting Every regulation proposed after the coming into force of this Act shall be drafted in plain language, avoiding, whenever possible, technical, legal or Latin expressions. Coming into force This Act comes into force on assent. 2 SASKATCHEWAN REGULATORY REFORM2

SCHEDULE “A” EXECUTIVE COUNCIL REGULATORY REVIEW PROCESS Step One The department developing a proposed regulations should satisfy itself that a regulation is really required and that all options have been explored. Questions as detailed should be taken into consideration: • is the regulation needed? • what will be the cost to government to implement this regulation? • what is the urgency of the regulation? • what alternatives should be looked at in an attempt to achieve the same policy objective? • estimates of revenue/expenditures?

Step Two If the department decides that a regulation is needed, the department developing the regulation should keep in mind the following: • have we effectively consulted with all the stakeholders concerned, both internally and externally? • does the regulation overlap and/or duplicate other regulations, either Federal, other Provinces and/or municipal government? • will the regulation significantly impact or impede business growth and innovation? • is the regulation being streamlined in order to communicate the regulation in an understandable manner? • is the paperwork minimized and/or reducing compliance costs?

Step Three Once the department has determined that the regulation is still required, the department will submit a detailed memo outlining the proposal to the Secretary of the Regulations Review Committee. Step Four Proposal approved? proceed to Legislative Crown Counsel for drafting. Step Five Final draft completed? resubmit to Regulations Review Committee for clause-by- clause scrutiny. 3 SASKATCHEWAN REGULATORY REFORM REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN Printed by the authority of THE QUEEN’S PRINTER Copyright'1997

SCHEDULE “B” PUBLIC REGULATORY REVIEW PROCESS Step One If a new regulation or a major amendment to an existing regulation is proposed, the department will place a notice in

Part I of the Saskatchewan Gazette, the Star-Phoenix and the LeaderPost for two consecutive Fridays indicating the following: DEPARTMENT NAME EXPLANATION OF THE REGULATION (No longer than paragraphs) LOCATION REGULATION CAN BE REVIEWED CONTACT PERSON (If a routine amendment, proceed to Step Four) Step Two Secretary and Departmental Contact person review any questions and/or concerns from Step One. Secretary reports findings to Regulations Review Committee. Step Three If major concerns raised, proposal proceeds back to Regulations Review Committee.

If not, proposal proceeds to Senior Analyst, Economic and Fiscal Policy Branch, Department of Finance. Step Four Senior Analyst, Economic and Fiscal Policy Branch, Department of Finance, reviews material and forwards to clerk of the Executive Council. Step Five Clerk of the Executive Council places item on Cabinet agenda.