BizPaL Launched in New Tecumseth

NEW TECUMSETH, Ontario, March 7, 2008 — Starting and running a business in the Town of New Tecumseth 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 Helena Guergis, Member of Parliament for Simcoe-Grey, Secretary of State (Foreign Affairs and International Trade) and Secretary of State (Sport), on behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, together with Mike MacEachern, Mayor of New Tecumseth, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in New Tecumseth.

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 New Tecumseth was developed with the support of Industry Canada, in collaboration with the Town of New Tecumseth and the Province of Ontario.

"Starting up and growing a business is not easy, which is why the Government of Canada has introduced a number of significant measures to help small businesses here in New Tecumseth and across Canada," said Ms. Guergis. "In addition to supporting BizPaL, we are providing a more competitive and productive economy for small businesses in Ontario by accelerating the reduction of the small business tax rate and lowering the GST to 5 percent. With Budget 2008, we are easing the tax compliance burden by reducing the record-keeping requirements for automobile expense deductions and taxable benefits and improving the Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax incentive program."

"Small business drives our economy, and our government is focused on making it easier for businesses in New Tecumseth to thrive and expand," said the Honourable Ted McMeekin, Ontario's Minister of Government and Consumer Services. "Our BizPaL service is just one way in which we're making life simple for Ontario entrepreneurs."

"BizPaL's online services will guide New Tecumseth entrepreneurs through the regulatory requirements of all levels of government and provide new and expanding businesses with the information they need — quickly and easily," said Mayor MacEachern.

Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting http://www.town.newtecumseth.on.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:

Catherine Godbout
Office of the Honourable Diane Ablonczy
Secretary 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
647-218-8659 (cell)

Mayor Mike MacEachern
Town of New Tecumseth
705-435-3900, ext. 223

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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, 8 provinces and territories are participating in BizPaL, with more than 80 municipalities offering the service (visit http://www.bizpal.ca for a complete list of participating jurisdictions). Within the province of Ontario, the Town of New Tecumseth joins a growing list of participating municipalities, including Brampton, Brockville, Greater Sudbury, Guelph, the Regional Municipality of Halton, Oakville, Ottawa and Windsor.

BizPaL was a commitment of the Government of Canada in Budget 2006. It grew out of a working group of representatives from federal departments and from provincial, territorial and municipal governments across Canada. The development of the BizPaL project involved consultations with stakeholders in business and government.

In November 2006, the Government of Canada released Advantage Canada, in which it committed to reducing paper burden on businesses by 20 percent. In Budget 2007, the Government of Canada took further action by requiring key federal regulatory departments and agencies to establish an inventory of administrative requirements and information obligations with which business must comply, and to achieve a 20-percent reduction of these requirements and obligations by November 2008. Budget 2008 reaffirmed this commitment and highlighted the importance of complementary measures that simplify paperwork for businesses but do not reduce the inventory of requirements. BizPaL is key among these complementary measures

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Backgrounder
Supporting Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of small businesses to Canada's economy and understands the challenges associated with starting up and growing a business.

That is why, since 2006, the Government of Canada has introduced a number of key measures to help small and medium-sized businesses across the country. The government has:

• committed to establishing the lowest tax rate on new business investment in the G7
• reduced the small business tax rate to 11 percent and raised the small business income tax instalment threshold to $400 000
• reduced personal taxes by cutting the GST to 5 percent and implemented broad based personal income tax cuts
• raised the lifetime capital gains exemption to $750 000 for small business owners, farmers and fishers
• raised the personal income tax instalment threshold to $3000
• introduced the Canada Employment Credit — a $1000 tax credit on employment income to offset work-related expenses
• invested $3 million a year in the BizPaL service across the country — an online time-saving tool that helps entrepreneurs
• access permit and licence information from multiple levels of government
• instituted a $500 tradesperson tax deduction for tools
• increased meal allowance tax exemptions for long-haul truck drivers
• introduced the Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance to reduce investment costs
• supported apprenticeships by introducing the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit and the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant programs
• committed to implementing the Cabinet Directive on Streamlining Regulation
• committed to establishing the Major Projects Management Office
• committed to establishing the Paperwork Burden Reduction Initiative for Canadian business, with a plan to reduce the federal paperwork burden by 20 percent
• improved small vendor access to government procurement contracts as committed under the Federal Accountability Act, including:
  • creating six regional OSME (Office of Small and Medium Enterprises) offices across the country
  • committing to ongoing consultations with the supplier community
  • creating a Procurement Auditor to perform an ongoing and independent audit of government procurement
  • developing a Code of Conduct for Procurement
  • conducting an independent review of a new procurement policy
  • ensuring that procurement officers are accredited and trained