PARKLAND COUNTY, Alberta, February 5, 2010 — Starting and running a business in Parkland County 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, Ted Menzies, Member of Parliament for Macleod, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), together with Fred Lindsay, Member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly for Stony Plain, on behalf of the Honourable Heather Klimchuk, Minister of Service Alberta, and Rob Wiedeman, Mayor of Parkland County, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Parkland County, Alberta.
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 Parkland County was developed by Parkland County, the Province of Alberta and the Government of Canada.
"Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, our government is helping small businesses by increasing access to financing, lowering taxes and cutting red tape," said Mr. Menzies. "BizPaL is a great example of the government's hard work to support small and medium-sized enterprises across Canada as they innovate, create jobs and generate wealth in our communities."
"Parkland County is a prime location to do business, with three major business parks and a thriving community," said Minister Klimchuk. "BizPaL will help the county build on its accomplishments by making it easier for entrepreneurs to start or expand a business."
"When we first saw the BizPaL demonstration, we knew we wanted it for our community," said Mayor Wiedeman. "Economic development is important for our success and having BizPaL available to new businesses will help expedite the permitting process, further promoting Parkland County as an attractive place to build your business."
Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting Parkland County's BizPaL website or the Service Alberta BizPaL site. The Province is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of Alberta over the next year.
Visit the BizPaL website for additional information and access to the websites of participating partners.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Ryan Greer
Office of the Honourable Rob Moore
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)
613-943-6183
Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502
Mike Berezowsky
Communications
Service Alberta
780-415-6051
Jackie Ostashek
Communications Coordinator
Parkland County
780-968-8432
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 380 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 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.
This interactive, smart permit and licence tool is featured on Service Alberta's BizPaL website. Visit the BizPaL website for a complete list of participating jurisdictions.
