Governments of Canada, Manitoba and the Whitemouth Reynolds Planning District Deliver BizPaL Services

Online Business Permit and Licence Service Saves Time, Cuts Paperwork and Helps Entrepreneurs


HADASHVILLE, MANITOBA--(Marketwire - March 11, 2011) - Starting and running a business in the Whitemouth Reynolds Planning District just became easier thanks to BizPaL, an online business permit and licence service that saves time spent on paperwork and helps entrepreneurs start up faster.

Today, the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety and Member of Parliament for Provencher, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), together with the Honourable Peter Bjornson, Manitoba's Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade, and David Turchyn, Chair of the Whitemouth Reynolds Planning District, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in the rural municipalities of Whitemouth and Reynolds. 

"Our government is demonstrating a strong commitment to small and medium-sized businesses by improving access to financing, reducing taxes and cutting the red tape that businesses face every day," said Minister Toews. "BizPaL is a great example of our government's hard work to support Canadian businesses as they innovate, create jobs and generate wealth in our communities."

BizPaL is an innovative service that provides entrepreneurs with simplified access to information on the permits and licences they need to establish and run their businesses. This unique partnership among federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments is designed to cut through the paperwork burden and red tape that small business owners encounter. The BizPaL services in these communities were developed by the rural municipalities of Whitemouth and Reynolds, the Province of Manitoba and the Government of Canada.

"BizPaL helps entrepreneurs start or expand their business faster by providing a wealth of information quickly and easily," said Minister Bjornson. "BizPaL helps rural Manitoba businesses grow, which in turn creates job opportunities and other local economic benefits."

"BizPaL is a tremendous partnership involving all levels of government, and we are very pleased to have it available to our residents," said Mr. Turchyn. "Current and future business owners will benefit from this service and in turn create more opportunities in the area."

Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the new BizPaL services by visiting the Government of Manitoba's Business Portal (www.Manitoba.ca/business).

Visit the BizPaL website (www.bizpal.ca) for additional information and access to the websites of participating partners.

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 businesses with accurate information on permits and licences. Although the service is offered online, it can also be used through other service channels (i.e., telephone and in-person centres) to extend services to more clients.

To date, 11 provinces and territories are participating in BizPaL, with more than 520 municipalities offering the service. Visit the BizPaL website (www.bizpal.ca) for a complete list of participating jurisdictions.

Industry Canada is the lead federal department for 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 contributing to the government's success in reducing the paperwork burden on small businesses by 20 percent.

The success of BizPaL is due in part to the multi-jurisdictional partnership among federal, provincial, territorial and municipal 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.

The Manitoba BizPaL Office, located in the Department of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade, is charged with engaging local governments to make this important service available across Manitoba. BizPaL is an integral component of Manitoba's Single Window for Business Initiative, which is focused on improving the accessibility of the Province's business information and services and helping to cut red tape. Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access BizPaL by visiting the Government of Manitoba's Business Portal (www.Manitoba.ca/business).

Contact Information: Office of the Honourable Rob Moore
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)
Sean Phelan
613-943-7009
613-797-7965 (cell)
or
Industry Canada
Media Relations
613-943-2502
or
Province of Manitoba
Cabinet Communications
Naline Rampersad
204-945-1494
or
Rural Municipality of Reynolds
Trudy Turchyn
Chief Administrative Officer
204-426-5305