Melfort, Saskatchewan, October 22, 2010 - Starting and running a business in the city of Melfort just became easier thanks to BizPaL, a new online business permit and licence service that reduces time spent on paperwork and helps entrepreneurs start up faster.
Today, the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), together with the Honourable Rod Gantefoer, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Melfort, and Kevin Phillips, Mayor of the City of Melfort, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Melfort.
BizPaL is an innovative service that provides entrepreneurs with simplified access to information on the permits and licences they need to establish and run their businesses. This unique partnership among federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments is designed to cut through the paperwork burden and red tape that small business owners encounter. The BizPaL service in Melfort was developed by the City of Melfort, the Province of Saskatchewan and the Government of Canada.
"Through Budget 2010, our government is demonstrating a strong commitment to small and medium-sized businesses by improving access to financing, reducing taxes and cutting the red tape that businesses face every day," said Minister of State Moore. "BizPaL is a great example of our government's hard work to support Canadian businesses as they innovate, create jobs and generate wealth in our communities."
"BizPaL takes the guesswork out of production start-up and gives Saskatchewan entrepreneurs more time to focus on expanding their businesses," said Mr. Gantefoer. "This service is cost-effective, convenient and essential to the province's ever-evolving business landscape."
"Melfort is a rapidly growing city, both residentially and commercially. BizPaL will make a business move to Melfort easier and more convenient. It's another way of removing obstacles to growth," said Mayor Phillips.
Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting the City of Melfort BizPaL website or the Enterprise Saskatchewan website.
The Province is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of Saskatchewan 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:
Catherine Godbout
Office of the Honourable Rob Moore
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)
613-943-7023
Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502
Shanna Schulhauser
Enterprise Saskatchewan
306-787-5582
shanna.schulhauser@enterprisesask.ca
John Wade
City of Melfort
306-752-5911
j.wade@cityofmelfort.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 businesses with accurate information on permits and licences. 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 460 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 and municipal 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 the Government of Saskatchewan BizPaL website. Visit the BizPaL website for a complete list of participating jurisdictions.
