LONDON, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - April 17, 2009) - Starting and running a business in the city of London 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, Ed Holder, Member of Parliament for London West, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, together with the Honourable Ted McMeekin, Ontario Minister of Government Services, and Anne Marie DeCicco-Best, Mayor of London, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in London, Ontario.

BizPaL is an innovative service that provides entrepreneurs with simplified access to the information on permits and licences 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 London was developed by the City of London, the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada.

"BizPaL is part of our government's economic plan to support innovation and cut red tape," said Mr. Holder. "Small businesses are a major engine of our economy. BizPaL will help small businesses grow and drive economic growth and job creation here, and across Canada."

"BizPaL is an important tool that gives our entrepreneurs a valuable edge in these challenging economic times," said Minister McMeekin. "It allows them to get the permits they need quickly and easily to start building a successful business."

"The City of London is very excited to add BizPaL to its list of business resources," said Mayor DeCicco-Best. "Making processes easier and more accessible can only benefit and strengthen our business community, and aid in the attraction of new business."

Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting www.london.ca/bizpal or www.serviceontario.ca/bizpal. The Province is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of Ontario over the next year.

Visit 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 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 extend services to more clients.

To date, 11 provinces and territories are participating in BizPaL, with more than 290 municipalities offering the service. Visit 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 a complementary measure in 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, regional and local 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. ServiceOntario, part of Ontario's Ministry of Government Services, is entrusted with engaging local governments to make this important service available across Ontario.

This interactive, smart permit and licence tool is featured at www.london.ca/bizpal.