BizPaL Launched in Toronto

TORONTO, Ontario, February 29, 2008 — Starting and running a business in the City of Toronto 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, Colin Carrie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, on behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, together with the Honourable Ted McMeekin, Ontario's Minister of Government and Consumer Services, and Mayor David Miller welcomed the launch of BizPaL in the City of Toronto.

BizPaL is an innovative project that provides entrepreneurs with simplified access to 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.

"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 Toronto and across Canada," said Mr. Carrie. "In addition to supporting BizPaL here in Toronto, we are supporting small businesses in Ontario by accelerating the reduction of the small business tax rate to 11 percent, lowering the GST to 5 percent, raising the lifetime capital gains exemption to $750 000 for small business owners, introducing the Canada Employment Credit, and introducing the Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance to reduce investment costs."

"Time is money for entrepreneurs, and no one wants to waste any time while trying to set up a new business," said Minister McMeekin.

"BizPaL is a vital new service that makes it easier for enterprising entrepreneurs to develop and nurture small businesses in Toronto," said Mayor Miller. "Through its Agenda for Prosperity, the City is committed to being a partner with business in proactively creating wealth with strategic investments in our city. By doing this, we will ensure that Toronto continues to be a leading global city of the 21^st century."

The BizPaL service in the City of Toronto was developed with the support of Industry Canada and the Province of Ontario, in collaboration with the City.

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

Toronto Economic Development Media Hotline
416-560-8726

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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://bizpal.ca for a complete list of participating jurisdictions). Within the province of Ontario, the City of Toronto joins a growing list of participating municipalities, including Guelph, Brockville, Oakville, Greater Sudbury, Brampton, Windsor, Ottawa and the Regional Municipality of Halton.

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-per-cent reduction of these requirements and obligations by November 2008.

In addition, federal departments and agencies are being requested to implement complementary measures, which are simplifying 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 but 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:

• 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