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The Golden Scissors Award, presented by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), recognizes an individual or group who has successfully motivated or demonstrated leadership and courage, and produced meaningful and positive results in cutting red tape for small business. Mayor Stew Young and city council for Langford, B.C., are the winners of the 2014 award for their simple but transformative initiative of making business licenses permanent.

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Mayor Stew Young and city council for <a href="http://www.cityoflangford.ca/">Langford, B.C.</a>, were the recipients of CFIB's <a href="http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/index.html">2014 Golden Scissors Award</a>. <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: Eliminating the requirement for local businesses to renew their licenses every year. “Our council felt that adopting a permanent business license was a practical decision that would benefit business owners and citizens alike.”</font>

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Hon. Naomi Yamamoto, minister of state for small Business, <a href="http://www2.gov.bc.ca/">Government of British Columbia.</a> <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: License Program available in ten regions across BC, allowing mobile businesses to purchase a single business and operate across participating municipal jurisdictions.</font>

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Jean-Pierre Lamarche, director general, Passport Program Management and Strategic Initiatives, and the ePassport team, <a href="http://www.ppt.gc.ca/index.aspx">Passport Canada</a>. <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: Introducing the 10-year ePassport, reducing wait times for renewals and allowing easier travel for entrepreneurs.</font>

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Jim Watson, mayor of <a href="http://ottawa.ca/en">City of Ottawa</a>. <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: Implementing a Business Ambassador Service for new restaurant entrepreneurs, giving them a single point person from government to liaise with </font>

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Hon. Maureen MacDonald, <a href="http://nsndp.ca/people/maureen-macdonald">MLA for Halifax-Needham</a>, (formerly minister responsible for the Liquor Control Act). <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: Permitting in-store beer and wine making services in Nova Scotia.</font>

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Shereen Benzvy Miller, (former) director general, office of small and medium enterprises, <a href="http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/comm/index-eng.html">Public Works and Government Services Canada</a>. <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: Launching <a href="https://buyandsell.gc.ca/">buyandsell.gc.ca</a>, a one-stop shop procurement-focused website that aims to reduce the confusion for businesses wanting to work with government. </font>

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Hon. Brad Wall, <a href="http://www.premier.gov.sk.ca/">premier of Saskatchewan</a>. <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: Legislating the measurement and reporting of red tape.</font>

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Jean Saint-Gelais, secretary general of the Conseil executive, <a href="http://www.gouv.qc.ca/portail/quebec/pgs/commun?lang=en">Government of Québec</a>. <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: Enduring commitment to cutting red tape and implementation of 63 practical recommendations of the Red Tape Reduction Action Plan.</font>

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Hon. Tony Clement, president of the treasury board, <a href="http://canada.ca/en/">Government of Canada</a>. <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: for every new government regulation imposed on businesses, at least one regulation of equal or greater impact must be removed.</font>

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Hon. Thomas Lukaszuk, (former minister of enterprise and advanced education), <a href="http://alberta.ca/">Government of Alberta</a>. <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: Introducing the provincial Skilled Worker Pilot Project, which aims to give occupation-specific work permits to temporary foreign workers more quickly and address the skilled worker shortage gap.</font>

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Tim Grant, (former) deputy minister of transportation, <a href="http://alberta.ca/">Government of Alberta</a>. <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: Simplifying cross-border trucking rules across Western Canada.</font>

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Joanne Gasper, director, liquor licensing, <a href="http://www.slga.gov.sk.ca/">Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority</a>. <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: Streamlining liquor laws. </font>

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Hon. Don Morgan, minister, labour relations and workplace safety, <a href="http://www.gov.sk.ca/">Government of Saskatchewan</a>. <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: Reducing employment red tape. </font>

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<font face="georgia" font size="4">Doug McNeil, deputy minister of infrastructure and transportation, <a href="http://www.gov.mb.ca/">Government of Manitoba</a>. <br><br><b>Red tape reduction initiative</b>: Simplifying cross-border trucking rules across Western Canada.</font>

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