A province of Toronto Canada has announced it is eliminating the fees businesses have to pay to access procurement contracts. Although not a European story, we wonder whether it’s an initiative that may encourage other provinces, indeed other regions, that do charge, to do the same in the light of smaller business support and engagement. There has been a requirement in place for suppliers to pay $300 per bid or $750 annual fee for unlimited bids for procurement opportunities on the Ontario Tenders Portal. This has now been waived. Also waived is the fee to access the Registration, Appraisal and Qualification System used by the Ministry of Transportation for road maintenance procurements. The move supports the province’s target to spend 33% of procurement spending with small and medium-sized businesses by 2020. Read more on Daily Commercial News.