HAY RIVER, Northwest Territories, February 27, 2009 — Starting and running a business in the town of Hay 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, the Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, together with the Honourable Bob McLeod, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment for the Northwest Territories, and Jean-Marc Miltenberger, Mayor of the Town of Hay River, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in the town of Hay 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, regional and local governments is designed to cut through the paperwork burden and red tape that small business owners encounter. The BizPaL service in Hay River was developed by the Town of Hay River, the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Government of Canada.
“BizPaL will make it easier for people in Hay River to get the licences and permits they need to start up and grow their businesses,” said Minister of State Ablonczy. “BizPaL demonstrates our government's commitment to a more competitive business environment that supports innovation and reduces red tape to help small businesses prosper and grow.”
“BizPaL is all about streamlining information to provide businesses with one-stop access to a database of permit and licence requirements from the federal, provincial, territorial and municipal levels of government across Canada and now, for the first time, in the Northwest Territories,” said Minister McLeod. “It will give our entrepreneurs the assurance that they have the information they need to meet all permit and licence requirements quickly and efficiently. With easy access to the information they need to start or expand their businesses, this innovative service will allow more time for businesses to take care of business. Small businesses are a cornerstone of our sustainable development and offer diversified employment right across the territory.”
“Hay River prides itself on being on the cutting edge of business innovations and technologies. This is what makes Hay River a great place to live and work,” said Mayor Miltenberger. “BizPaL is a new and innovative way of attracting new businesses and servicing our business community.”
Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting www.hayriver.com/mainbiz.htm. The Territory is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of the Northwest Territories over the next year.
Visit bizpal.ca for additional project history, 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
Pam Fitzmaurice
Marketing/Communications Specialist
Industry, Tourism and Investment
Government of the Northwest Territories
867-873-7857
pam_fitzmaurice@gov.nt.ca
Cindy Petersen
Executive Assistant
Town of Hay River
867-874-6522
cpetersen@hayriver.com
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 225 municipalities offering the service. Visit bizpal.ca for a complete list of participating jurisdictions.
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.iti.gov.nt.ca/businesseconomicdevelopment/nwtbizpal.shtml.
