STEINBACH, Manitoba, January 8, 2009 — Starting and running a business in the city of Steinbach 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 Vic Toews, President of the Treasury Board, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, together with the Honourable Andrew Swan, Manitoba Minister of Competitiveness, Training and Trade, and Chris Goertzen, Mayor of the City of Steinbach, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Steinbach, Manitoba.
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 Steinbach was developed by the City of Steinbach, the Province of Manitoba and the Government of Canada.
“I am glad to see BizPaL extended to more communities in Manitoba,” said Minister Toews. “It’s an example of government making things easier for Canadians by cutting red tape. At a time of global economic instability, we need to do everything we can to help Canadian businesses, especially small businesses, which create so many of our new jobs. BizPaL is a simple, cost-effective way to provide that kind of practical help.”
“BizPaL is a concrete example of our government’s Single Window for Business Initiative, which is working to ensure that business information and services are easy to find, easy to understand and easy to use,” said Minister Swan. “I am very pleased that BizPaL has been launched in the city of Steinbach to promote the competitiveness of the community in attracting and growing businesses.”
“The new BizPaL application is an exciting addition to the City of Steinbach’s website,” said Mayor Goertzen. “This useful tool will aid in a clear and informed understanding of the business licensing process.”
“The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has been a long-time advocate of BizPaL,” said Shannon Martin, Director of Provincial Affairs, Manitoba, for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. “This initiative offers important benefits to entrepreneurs and government and is something every municipality should be adopting. We applaud the federal government, the Province of Manitoba and the City of Steinbach for embracing BizPaL.”
Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting steinbach.ca/business_and_industry/bizpal or manitoba.ca/business. The Province is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of Manitoba 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
Joe Czech
Communications Coordinator
Communications Services Manitoba
204-945-6778
joe.czech@gov.mb.ca
Amber Reitsma
Communications Coordinator
City of Steinbach
204-346-6231
areitsma@steinbach.ca
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, 10 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.
Within the Government of Manitoba and located in the Department of Competitiveness, Training and Trade, the Manitoba BizPaL Office is entrusted with engaging local governments to make this important service available across Manitoba.
The Province of Manitoba is committed to expanding BizPaL across the province as noted in the 2008 Budget Speech. BizPaL represents an integral component of Manitoba’s Single Window for Business Initiative that is focused on improving the accessibility of the province’s business information and services, helping to cut red tape.
This interactive, smart permit and licence tool is featured at Manitoba.ca/business. Visit bizpal.ca for a complete list of participating jurisdictions.
