ROSSLAND, British Columbia, January 19, 2009 — Starting and running a business in the city of Rossland 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, the Honourable Jim Abbott, Member of Parliament for Kootenay–Columbia, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, together with officials from the Province of British Columbia and Greg Granstrom, Mayor of Rossland, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Rossland, British Columbia.
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 Rossland was developed by the City of Rossland, the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada.
“At a time of global economic instability, we need to do everything we can to help Canadian businesses, especially small businesses,” said Mr. Abbott. “BizPaL is a simple, cost‑effective example of how governments can work together to make things easier for small businesses, which create so many of our new jobs. I am glad we are bringing this service to more British Columbia communities.”
“BizPaL is a user-friendly, time-saving tool that cuts red tape and reflects our government's commitment to making British Columbia Canada's most small-business-friendly jurisdiction,” said the Honourable Kevin Krueger, British Columbia Minister of Small Business and Revenue and Minister Responsible for Regulatory Reform. “This is what can be achieved when all levels of government work together in partnership.”
“I'm proud our municipality can now offer this innovative BizPaL service to our small business community, to help them save time and access the information needed to start their businesses,” said Mayor Granstrom.
Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting rossland.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp?PageID=117 or www.bcbizpal.ca. The Province is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of British Columbia over the next year.
Visit bizpal.ca for additional information and access to the websites of participating partners.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Catherine Godbout
Office of the Honourable Diane Ablonczy
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)
613-947-5856
Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502
Christine Wood
Communications Director
Ministry of Small Business and Revenue
Province of British Columbia
250-387-4193
Ron Campbell
Chief Administrative Officer
City of Rossland
250-362-2324
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 160 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 commitment to reduce 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 at www.bcbizpal.ca. Visit bizpal.ca for a complete list of participating jurisdictions.
