February 1, 2008 BizPaL launched in Edmonton Edmonton... Starting and running a business in the City of Edmonton 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 Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification, on behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, together with the Honourable Iris Evans, Minister of Employment, Immigration and Industry for the Province of Alberta, on behalf of the Honourable Lloyd Snelgrove, Minister of Service Alberta, and His Worship Mayor Stephen Mandel welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Edmonton. Edmonton is the first municipality in Alberta to offer the BizPaL service. 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. The BizPaL service in Edmonton was developed with the support of Industry Canada, in collaboration with the City of Edmonton and the Province of Alberta. “BizPaL is part of our government’s economic plan, laid out in Advantage Canada, to provide an innovative and entrepreneurial business environment,” said the Honourable Rona Ambrose. “The Government of Canada is pleased to be working with the Province of Alberta and the City of Edmonton to promote a more competitive and productive local economy by providing easy access to essential information and reducing paperwork costs for business.” “One of the top priorities of the Alberta government is to create opportunity for Albertans,” said Minister Evans. “The launch of BizPaL in Edmonton will expand opportunities for Alberta's small businesses by simplifying the start-up process. Business owners will have easier access to information about the permits and licenses they require, enabling them to get the tools they need to succeed more quickly.” “Edmonton is proud to be the first municipality in Alberta to offer this service and be a part of this program,” says Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel. “This is an excellent tool for businesses trying to start or grow in Edmonton.” Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting www.edmonton.ca/bizpal or www.bizpal.alberta.ca. The province is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of Alberta over the next year. Visit bizpal.ca for additional project history, information and access to the websites of participating partners. -30- Media inquiries may be directed to: Catherine Godbout Media Relations Office of the Honourable Diane Ablonczy Industry Canada Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)613-943-2502 613-947-5856 Cam Traynor Adrienne Hill Service Alberta Communications Communications 780-415-6051 Planning and Development City of Edmonton 780-496-8196 February 1, 2008 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 client services. To date, BizPaL has been launched in more than 70 cities and towns in seven provinces and territories (refer to bizpal.ca for a complete list of participating jurisdictions). Edmonton is the first municipality in the province of Alberta to offer the BizPaL service. 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, 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. In Budget 2007, the Government of Canada committed to achieving this target by November 2008. -30- Alberta Government | Ministries Listing | Service Alberta Home Page | News Releases | Top of Page | Send us your comments or questions Copyright(©) 2008 Government of Alberta.