Governments of Canada and British Columbia Deliver BizPaL Service to 40 Municipalities

Online business permit and licence service saves time, cuts paperwork and helps entrepreneurs

Victoria, British Columbia, October 19, 2011—Starting and running a business in 40 British Columbia municipalities just became easier thanks to BizPaL, an online business permit and licence service that saves time spent on paperwork and helps entrepreneurs start up faster.

Today, the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), together with the Honourable Pat Bell, British Columbia's Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in 100 Mile House, Williams Lake, Dawson Creek, Hazelton, Kitimat, Radium Hot Springs, Sparwood, Trail, Abbotsford, Burnaby, Creston, Hudson's Hope, Lillooet, Mission, Port Coquitlam, Richmond, Vancouver, Fort St. John, Fruitvale, Vanderhoof, Hope, New Hazelton, Prince Rupert, Queen Charlotte, Terrace, Chetwynd, Elkford, Fraser Lake, Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, Tumbler Ridge, Esquimalt, Kimberley, Logan Lake, Fort St. James, North Saanich, Sidney, Sooke, Squamish, Victoria and View Royal.

BizPaL is an innovative service that provides entrepreneurs with simplified access to information on the 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 services in these 40 municipalities were developed by the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada.

"Our government is committed to providing small and medium-sized businesses with the tools they need to succeed," said Minister of State Bernier. "BizPaL is a great example of our government's commitment to cut red tape so that Canadian businesses can continue to do what they do best: innovate, create jobs and generate wealth in our communities."

"Creating jobs is the B.C. government's number one priority, as laid out in our jobs plan, Canada Starts Here," said Minister Bell. "BizPaL is a fast, effective tool that allows existing and new businesses to spend less time filling out forms and more time innovating, expanding and, ultimately, creating jobs for B.C. families."

Linda Larson, Vice-Chair of the Small Business Roundtable, said that "BizPaL's single point of access for permit and licensing requirements is a valuable timesaver. The Small Business Roundtable recommends that every community in B.C. adopt this service to the benefit of its entrepreneurs."

Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting the BizPaL British Columbia website (www.bcbizpal.ca). For additional information on the service, visit the BizPaL website (www.bizpal.ca).

For further information (media only), please contact:

Scott French
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Maxime Bernier
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)
613-943-6183

Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502

Caroline McAndrews
Communications Manager
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
250-356-0613

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 provide information 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 businesses with accurate information on permits and licences. Although the service is offered online, it can also be used through other service channels (i.e., telephone and in-person centres), extending services to more clients.

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.

As announced in Budget 2011, BizPaL will receive $3 million annually in funding, making the program permanent and allowing it to provide even greater value to small businesses. In the coming months, BizPaL will become available to more Canadians as additional municipalities join the program. Access to permits and licences will become easier throughout the provinces and territories as the program expands, service improvements are made and greater online transactions become available. For example, regulators will be able to download customized reports to help them with their research and analysis.

The success of BizPaL is due in part to a strong 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.

Visit the BizPaL website (www.bizpal.ca) for additional information.