BizPaL Launched in Kenora, Ontario

KENORA, Ontario, August 23, 2008 — Starting and running a business in the city of Kenora 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 Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, together with officials from the Province of Ontario and Len Compton, Mayor of Kenora, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Kenora.

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 Kenora was developed by the City of Kenora, the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada.

"Through our work with the Province of Ontario and the City of Kenora, the Government of Canada is pleased to promote a more competitive and productive local economy by reducing the costs of paperwork and making it easier to gather information essential for running a business," said Minister Prentice. "Consistent with the economic plan we laid out in Advantage Canada and affirmed in Budget 2008, the Government of Canada is implementing measures that support small business and provide an innovative and entrepreneurial business environment."

"We're strengthening Ontario's economic advantage by helping businesses start up and expand quickly and easily in this province," said the Honourable Ted McMeekin, Ontario's Minister of Government Services. "Our government is focused on building a globally competitive and innovative economy in Ontario."

"BizPaL is an innovative and useful tool that will help new Kenora businesses get off the ground on the right foot," said Mayor Compton. "Gathering the requirements for all levels of government into one easy-to-use online tool surely aids the business start-up process. The City of Kenora is proud to be a partner in the BizPaL program."

Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting http://www.bizpal.kenora.ca or http://www.ServiceOntario.ca/bizpal. 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:

Bill Rodgers
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Jim Prentice
Minister of Industry
613-995-9001

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)

Jennifer Findlay
Economic Development Office
City of Kenora
807-467-2000

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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 operate 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, 9 provinces and territories are participating in BizPaL, with more than 140 municipalities offering the service.

In November 2006, the Government of Canada released its long-term economic plan called Advantage Canada, in which it committed to reducing the paperwork burden on businesses by 20 percent. Budget 2008 reaffirmed this commitment and highlighted the importance of complementary measures that simplify paperwork for businesses. BizPaL is key among these measures.

The success of BizPaL is due 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 Kenora joins more than 50 municipalities participating in BizPaL. Visit http://www.bizpal.ca for a complete list of participating jurisdictions.