Governments of Canada and British Columbia Join Forces to Launch BizPaL

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 14, 2015) -

Starting and running a business in the district of Taylor and village of Ashcroft 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.

The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism) (Agriculture), the Honourable Naomi Yamamoto, British Columbia Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business, Jack Jeyes, Mayor of the Village of Ashcroft, and Rob Fraser, Mayor of the District of Taylor, announced the implementation of BizPaL in Taylor and Ashcroft.

This free online application is a directory of the permits and licences required to start or run a business. BizPaL saves business people time searching for information and, as a result, helps them meet their obligations more easily.

Quick facts

• 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.
  
  
• BizPaL is a unique partnership between the federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments.
  
  
• The Government of Canada recently announced intentions to help entrepreneurs in Canada by providing continued support to Futurpreneur Canada, a not-for-profit organization that helps young entrepreneurs across Canada launch and sustain businesses.
  
  
• In Canada, over 99 percent of businesses are either small or medium-sized and contribute significantly to job creation, economic growth and the GDP.
  
  

Quotes

"Small businesses strengthen our economy and create jobs in British Columbia, and the federal government wants to make sure they have the tools they need to succeed. We help entrepreneurs through our support for Futurpreneur Canada, and we are making financing more accessible through the Canada Small Business Financing Program. BizPaL is yet another innovative service that reduces the red tape entrepreneurs face when accessing important information so that they can spend more time building their business."

- Maxime Bernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism) (Agriculture)

"BizPaL is a useful tool for entrepreneurs in Ashcroft and Taylor because it allows them to find information about permits and licences from a single source, saving them time and money. It's another way we're streamlining services to support small business owners and encourage entrepreneurship in British Columbia."

- Naomi Yamamoto, British Columbia Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business

"Ashcroft is excited to be partnering with BizPaL to provide a one-stop tool for all business-related licences and permits. This will make navigating regulations that much easier for local entrepreneurs and will pay dividends to the local economy."

- Jack Jeyes, Mayor of the Village of Ashcroft

"BizPaL is an easy way for new or existing business owners to identify the permits and licences required for their businesses. The site is simple to access and requires only basic information to obtain the results."

- Rob Fraser, Mayor of the District of Taylor

Related product

- Backgrounder

Associated links

- BizPaL website

- BC BizPaL website

- Village of Ashcroft website

- District of Taylor website

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BACKGROUNDER

BizPaL simplifies access to information on 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 select the business activities they plan to undertake, and BizPaL then automatically generates a list of required permits and licences from all levels of government, along with basic information on each. The list also includes links to the various government websites where entrepreneurs 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. All provinces and territories are participating in BizPaL, with more than 750 municipalities offering the service. Visit the BizPaL website for a complete list of participating jurisdictions.

Industry Canada is the lead federal department for BizPaL, supporting the centralized functions of the service. The Government of Canada is fully committed to creating a competitive business environment that supports innovation and reduces red tape. BizPaL has contributed to the government's success in reducing the paperwork burden on small businesses.

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.

This interactive, smart permit and licence search tool is featured on the provincial BizPaL website. Visit the BizPaL website for additional information.