Restaurants Canada calls on Maritime provinces to streamline liquor laws, minimum wage

The P.E.I. representative of Restaurants Canada says he hopes a new project to cut red tape for businesses will make things easier for Maritime restaurant owners.

Liam Dolan says there's no reason to have differences in liquor laws, minimum wage and areas such as smoking bylaws between such close provinces.

The premiers of the Maritime provinces recently created a task force to look into harmonizing regulations amongst the provinces that would create less paperwork for businesses.

Dolan says the changes will likely have a positive effect for tourism as well. "One as an example is when minimum wage goes up in one province, it goes up at the same time," suggested Dolan. "Liquor regulations, trying to keep them fairly similar to one another, trying not to have big discrepancies."

"When you have tourists coming across this country and they come to Atlantic Canada, you don't want to have huge discrepancies in different provinces. It makes it a little more pleasant to be all harmonized, better together I think."

Restaurants Canada hopes food inspection rules will be harmonized amongst the provinces as well.

Restaurants Canada is an association representing Canada's restaurant and food service industry.