LONDON, Ontario, April 17, 2009 — Starting and running a business in the city of London 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, Ed Holder, Member of Parliament for London West, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, together with the Honourable Ted McMeekin, Ontario Minister of Government Services, and Anne Marie DeCicco-Best, Mayor of London, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in London, Ontario.
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 London was developed by the City of London, the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada.
“BizPaL is part of our government's economic plan to support innovation and cut red tape,” said Mr. Holder. “Small businesses are a major engine of our economy. BizPaL will help small businesses grow and drive economic growth and job creation here, and across Canada.”
“BizPaL is an important tool that gives our entrepreneurs a valuable edge in these challenging economic times,” said Minister McMeekin. “It allows them to get the permits they need quickly and easily to start building a successful business.”
“The City of London is very excited to add BizPaL to its list of business resources,” said Mayor DeCicco-Best. “Making processes easier and more accessible can only benefit and strengthen our business community, and aid in the attraction of new business.”
Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting www.london.ca/bizpal or www.serviceontario.ca/bizpal. The Province is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of Ontario 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
Ciaran Ganley
Manager
Issues Management and Media Relations
Province of Ontario
416-325-8659
647-218-8659 (cell)
ciaran.ganley@ontario.ca
Mark Henderson
Director of Business Liaison
City of London
519-661-2500 ext. 5992
