Ottawa, October 19, 2011—The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), today announced that BizPaL is becoming a permanent service available to small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners.
"The Government of Canada supports SMEs by putting in place initiatives that enable them and entrepreneurs to continue to grow and create jobs," said Minister of State Bernier. "BizPaL is a concrete example of an initiative designed to cut through the red tape that small business owners encounter."
BizPaL is an innovative and cost-effective one-stop online service that provides simplified access to information on permits and licences that entrepreneurs and small business owners need to establish and run their businesses.
This unique partnership among federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments is designed to cut through paperwork burden and red tape. The $3 million in annual funding provided in Budget 2011, the Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, will allow the program to provide even greater value to small businesses through continued expansion and service improvements.
In the coming months, BizPaL will become available to more Canadians as additional municipalities join the program. To date, 11 provinces and territories are participating in BizPaL, with more than 600 municipalities offering the service, making it available to over 57 percent of the Canadian population.
Visit the BizPaL website (www.bizpal.ca) for additional information or to access the websites of participating partners.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Scott French
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Maxime Bernier
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)
613-943-6183
Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502
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 provide information 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), extending services to more clients.
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.
As announced in Budget 2011, BizPaL will receive $3 million annually in funding, making the program permanent and allowing it to provide even greater value to small businesses. In the coming months, BizPaL will become available to more Canadians as additional municipalities join the program. Access to permits and licences will become easier throughout the provinces and territories as the program expands, service improvements are made and greater online transactions become available. For example, regulators will be able to download customized reports to help them with their research and analysis.
The success of BizPaL is due in part to a strong 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.
Visit the BizPaL website (www.bizpal.ca) for additional information.
