VAUGHAN, Ontario, May 22, 2009 — Starting and running a business in the city of Vaughan 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, officials from the Province of Ontario, and Linda D. Jackson, Mayor of Vaughan, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Vaughan, 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 Vaughan was developed by the City of Vaughan, the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada.
“The Government of Canada is pleased to be working with the Province of Ontario and the City of Vaughan to provide businesses with easy access to important information,” said Minister of State Ablonczy. “This will reduce the paperwork that small businesses face and will promote a more productive and competitive local economy.”
“Our priority is to build a strong economy and strong communities across Ontario,” said Minister McMeekin. “BizPaL gets our entrepreneurs up and running quickly and easily. It gives them a valuable edge in these challenging economic times.”
“BizPaL in Vaughan is a great partnership among the City, the Province and the federal government,” said Mayor Jackson. “It's a win-win-win situation that once again says Vaughan is open for business. We look forward to more of these collaborations as a way that governments can help business, especially in uncertain economic times.”
Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting www.vaughan.ca/business 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
Madeline Zito
Director of Corporate Communications
City of Vaughan
905-832-8585 ext. 8027
madeline.zito@vaughan.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, 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.
This interactive, smart permit and licence tool is featured at www.vaughan.ca/business.
