RICHMOND HILL, Ontario , May 29, 2009 — Starting and running a business in the town of Richmond Hill 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 Ted McMeekin, Ontario Minister of Government Services; David Barrow, Mayor of Richmond Hill; and Daniela Mazzaferro, Small Business Consultant at the Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Richmond Hill, 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 Richmond Hill was developed by the Town of Richmond Hill, the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada.
“Reducing the paperwork burden makes things easier on small businesses,” said Minister of State Ablonczy. “At a time of global economic uncertainty, 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.”
“The ideas and initiatives of entrepreneurs help strengthen an economy,” said Minister McMeekin. “BizPaL is one way for our government to support entrepreneurs, by making it easier for them to get the permits they need to get their business up and running.”
“Everyone knows that businesses, big and small, are facing tough economic times,” said Mayor Barrow. “The Town is concerned about the needs of local businesses and is pleased to be a part of the solution by offering this new service.”
“BizPaL cuts through the red tape that often gets in the way of doing business. We hope the service will catch on with the local business community because, through BizPaL, businesses will benefit from shorter waiting and response times since permits and licences can be obtained in one place,” said Ms. Mazzaferro. The Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre, in coordination with the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada, is facilitating the launch of the service.
Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting www.richmondhill.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
Daniela Mazzaferro
Small Business Consultant
Richmond Hill Small Business Enterprise Centre
905-771-2546
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 300 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 in the government's success in reducing 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. ServiceOntario, part of Ontario's Ministry of Government Services, is entrusted with engaging local governments to make this important service available across Ontario.
