Governments of Canada, Alberta and Beaver County Deliver New BizPaL Service

New Online Business Permit and Licence Service Saves Time, Cuts Paperwork and Helps Entrepreneurs

Ryley, Alberta, June 30, 2010 — Starting and running a business in Beaver County just became easier thanks to BizPaL, a new online business permit and licence service that saves time spent on paperwork and helps entrepreneurs start up faster.

Today, Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Vegreville–Wainwright, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), together with Jim Kallal, Reeve of Beaver County, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Beaver County.

BizPaL is an innovative service that provides entrepreneurs with simplified access to the information on permits and licences they need to establish and run their businesses. This unique partnership among federal, provincial, territorial, regional and local governments is designed to cut through the paperwork burden and red tape that small business owners encounter. The BizPaL service in Beaver County was developed by Beaver County, the Province of Alberta and the Government of Canada.

“Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, our government is demonstrating its commitment to Canada's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by improving access to financing and cutting the red tape businesses face every day,” said Mr. Benoit. “BizPaL is a great example of the government's hard work to support SMEs across Canada as they innovate, create jobs and generate wealth in our communities.”

“BizPaL is an asset for attracting and developing businesses, and I am pleased to see Beaver County embracing it,” said the Honourable Heather Klimchuk, Minister of Service Alberta. “It is a great example of different levels of government working together to benefit communities.”

“Proven to make the licence and permit process convenient and easy, BizPaL will be a great online tool for our local business community and will help to facilitate diverse growth in the region,” said Mr. Kallal.

Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting the Beaver County BizPaL website or the Alberta BizPaL website. The Province is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of Alberta over the next year.

Visit the BizPaL website for additional information and access to the websites of participating partners.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Catherine Godbout
Office of the Honourable Rob Moore
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)
613-943-7023
613-668-5406 (cell)

Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502

Mike Berezowsky
Communications
Service Alberta
780-415-6051

Julie Ewashko
Strategic Planning, Communications & Promotions Coordinator
Beaver County
780-663-3730

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Backgrounder
BizPaL Simplifies Permits and Licences for Canadian Businesses

BizPaL is an online service that benefits Canadian businesses by helping them identify which permits and licences they require and how to obtain them. Entrepreneurs simply answer a series of questions on the type of business they want to start or expand and the activities they plan to undertake. BizPaL then automatically generates a list of all required permits and licences from all levels of government, along with basic information on each, and links to government sites where the entrepreneur can learn more and, in some cases, apply online.

BizPaL also benefits governments by making it easier for them to provide accurate information on permits and licences to business. Although the service is offered online, it can also be used through other service channels (i.e., telephone and in-person centres) to extend services to more clients.

To date, 11 provinces and territories are participating in BizPaL, with more than 420 municipalities offering the service.

Industry Canada is the lead federal department for the BizPaL initiative, supporting the centralized functions of the project. The Government of Canada is fully committed to creating a competitive business environment that supports innovation and reduces red tape. BizPaL is a complementary measure within the government's success in reducing the paperwork burden on small businesses by 20 percent.

The success of BizPaL is due in part to the multi-jurisdictional partnership among federal, provincial, territorial, regional and local governments. The partnership operates under a shared governance and costing model with collaborative decision making. Each jurisdiction is responsible for adding and maintaining its own information in BizPaL.

This interactive, smart permit and licence tool is featured on the Service Alberta BizPaL website. Visit the BizPaL website for a complete list of participating jurisdictions.