Governments of Canada, Alberta and High River Deliver New BizPaL Service

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

High River, Alberta, June 30, 2010—Starting and running a business in the Town of High River 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, Ted Menzies, Member of Parliament for Macleod, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), together with George Groeneveld, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Highwood, and Les Rempel, Mayor of the Town of High River, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in High River.

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 and municipal governments is designed to cut through the paperwork burden and red tape that small business owners encounter. The BizPaL service in High River was developed by the Town of High River, the Province of Alberta and the Government of Canada.

“Through Budget 2010: Leading the Way on Jobs and Growth, our government is demonstrating a strong commitment to small and medium-sized businesses by improving access to financing, reducing taxes and cutting the red tape that businesses face every day,” said Mr. Menzies. “BizPaL is a great example of our government’s hard work to support Canadian businesses as they innovate, create jobs and generate wealth in our communities.”

“BizPaL is a perfect fit for a community that prides itself on being open for opportunity,” said the Honourable Heather Klimchuk, Minister of Service Alberta. “High River has a diverse and progressive business environment, and BizPaL will make it even more attractive for entrepreneurs looking to start or expand.”

“The Town of High River is pleased to offer the BizPaL service to our business community,” said Mr. Rempel. “With the site being easily accessed on the High River website (www.highriver.ca), it is an effective way for entrepreneurs to find out ahead of time what permits and licences they need. The success of our site speaks to the vibrancy of High River, and the link to BizPaL only strengthens our efforts to see High River flourish in the coming year.”

Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting High River’s website for licences, permits and inspections or Service Alberta’s 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

Marilyn MacArthur
Town of High River
403-652-8624

---

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 and municipal 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 at the Service Alberta’s website. Visit the BizPaL website for a complete list of participating jurisdictions.