Governments of Canada, Manitoba, the City of Selkirk and the Rural Municipalities of St. Andrews and St. Clements Deliver New BizPaL Services

SELKIRK, MANITOBA--(Marketwire - March 4, 2011) - Starting and running a business in the City of Selkirk and the Rural Municipalities of St. Andrews and St. Clements 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, James Bezan, Member of Parliament for Selkirk–Interlake, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), together with the Honourable Peter Bjornson, Manitoba Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade, Larry Johannson, Mayor of the City of Selkirk, Steve Strang, Mayor of the Rural Municipality of St. Clements and Chairman of the Selkirk & District Planning Area Board, and Kurtiss Krasnesky, Deputy Reeve of the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in these communities.

"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 Mr. Bezan. "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 City of Selkirk and the Rural Municipalities of St. Andrews and St. Clements, the Province of Manitoba and the Government of Canada.

"BizPaL is an example of how our government is committed to reducing red tape and helping businesses grow in Manitoba," said Minister Bjornson. "BizPaL helps entrepreneurs and small business owners to quickly identify their regulatory requirements and spend more time creating economic opportunities in rural communities."

 "BizPal is a unique tool that represents a partnership between federal, provincial and municipal governments," said Mr. Strang. "We municipalities that partner through the Selkirk & District Planning Area Board are pleased to provide the BizPaL service to our residents and to others interested in coming to our 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 the new BizPaL services by visiting the Government of Manitoba's Business Portal (www.Manitoba.ca/business).

The City of Selkirk and the Rural Municipalities of St. Andrews and St. Clements join 37 other Manitoba municipalities now offering the BizPaL service. These communities are pleased to join BizPaL and offer additional services to attract new business and strengthen the local economy.