BizPaL Launched in Wawa

WAWA, Ontario, February 21, 2008 — Starting and running a business in the Municipality of Wawa 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 Diane Ablonczy, Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), on behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, together with the Honourable Ted McMeekin, Ontario Minister of Government and Consumer Services, and Mayor Howard Whent, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Wawa.

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.

"BizPaL is part of our government's economic plan, laid out in Advantage Canada, to provide an innovative and entrepreneurial business environment," said Secretary of State Ablonczy. "The Government of Canada is pleased to be working with the Province of Ontario and the Municipality of Wawa to promote a more competitive and productive local economy by providing easy access to essential information and reducing paperwork costs for businesses."

"BizPaL makes it easier for businesses to get the permits and licences they need right away," said Minister McMeekin. "Time is money for busy entrepreneurs, and we're committed to doing what we can to help businesses prosper across the province."

"The Municipality of Wawa is pleased to partner with the Province and the Government of Canada in making it easier for investors and local entrepreneurs to find business information with just a click of the button. Wawa BizPaL will save both money and time for those considering starting a business in Wawa," said Mayor Whent. "BizPaL is an easy system to use, and Wawa is pleased to join the list of communities that are making it easier for new businesses to begin."

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

Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting http://www.edcwawa.ca/BizPal/BizPal.htm 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)
Tel.: 613-947-5856

Media Relations
Industry Canada
Tel.: 613-943-2502

Ciaran Ganley
Manager
Issues Management and Media Relations
Province of Ontario
Tel.: 416-325-8659
Cell: 647-218-8659

Maury O'Neill
Economic Development Corporation of Wawa
Tel.: 705-856-4419
Email: moneill@edcwawa.ca

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

BizPaL was a commitment of the Government of Canada in Budget 2006. The development of the BizPaL project involved consultations with stakeholders in business and government. It grew out of a working group of representatives from federal departments and from provincial, territorial and municipal governments across Canada. In November 2006, the Government of Canada released Advantage Canada, its long-term economic plan, in which it identified ways to give Canada an entrepreneurial advantage, as well as a 20-percent reduction in paperwork burden. Budget 2007 committed to achieving this target by November 2008.