BizPaL Launched in Stratford, Ontario

STRATFORD, Ontario, November 28, 2008 — Starting and running a business in the city of Stratford 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, Gary Schellenberger, Member of Parliament for Perth-Wellington, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, together with the Honourable John Wilkinson, Member of Provincial Parliament for Perth-Wellington, on behalf of the Honourable Ted McMeekin, Ontario's Minister of Government Services, and Dan Mathieson, Mayor of Stratford, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Stratford.

BizPaL is an innovative project that provides entrepreneurs with simplified access to the information on permits and licences that 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 Stratford was developed by the City of Stratford, the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada.

"I am glad to see BizPaL extended to more communities in Ontario. It's an example of government making things easier for Canadians by cutting red tape," said Mr. Schellenberger. "At a time of global economic instability, 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."

"BizPaL is an excellent resource that will give entrepreneurs a valuable edge," said Mr. Wilkinson. "Our government is committed to building a globally competitive and innovative economy in Ontario."

"All levels of government constantly strive to remove any roadblocks for business owners who wish to start up a new business or expand an existing one," said Mayor Mathieson. "BizPaL is the successful result of collaboration amongst the federal, provincial and municipal governments in an effort to locate all necessary permit and licensing information in one easy-to-find area on the City's website."

Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting http://www.ServiceOntario.ca/bizpal or http://www.city.stratford.on.ca/site_comedobusiness/bizpalicence.asp. The Province is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of Ontario over the next year.

Visit http://www.bizpal.ca for additional project history, 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

Michelle Smibert
Deputy City Clerk
City of Stratford
519-271-0250, extension 329

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Backgrounder
BizPaL Simplifies Permits and Licences for Canadian Businesses

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 improve services to clients.

To date, 10 provinces and territories are participating in BizPaL, with more than 150 municipalities offering the service.

Industry Canada is the lead federal department on 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 commitment to reduce the paperwork burden on small businesses by 20 percent this year.

The success of BizPaL is due in part to the multi-jurisdictional partnership among the 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.

Within the province of Ontario, the City of Stratford joins more than 60 municipalities participating in BizPaL. Visit http://www.bizpal.ca for a complete list of participating jurisdictions.