HALIFAX, July 31, 2007 -- Starting and running a business in Halifax just became easier because of BizPaL, a new online business permit and licence service that saves time spent on paperwork and helps entrepreneurs start up faster.
Today, the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), on behalf of the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry together with Peter Kelly, Mayor of Halifax, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in the City of Halifax.
BizPaL is an innovative project 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.
"Canada's New Government is pleased to be working with the City of Halifax to provide easy access to essential information and reduce paperwork costs for area businesses," said Mr. Ritz. "This new service contributes to a more competitive and productive local economy."
"People in business, or those wanting to start a business, want information quickly and conveniently," said Mr. Kelly. "BizPal will provide one-stop shopping for entrepreneurs to gather information about government licenses and permits they may require to operate their business."
The BizPaL service in the City of Halifax was developed with the support of Industry Canada and in collaboration with the municipality and the province.
Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting http://www.halifax.ca/bizpal or http://www.gov.ns.ca/bizpal. The province is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of Nova Scotia over the next year.
Visit http://www.bizpal.ca for additional project history and information and to access the websites of participating partners.
For more information, please contact:
Todd MacKay
Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)
613-943-6183
Isabelle Fontaine
Office of the Honourable Maxime Bernier
Minister of Industry
613-995-9001
Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502
Mayor Peter Kelly
Halifax Regional Municipality
902-490-4010
