OFFICE TO BETTER SERVE SMALL BUSINESS, RESOURCE SECTORS

WILLIAMS LAKE – A new office will deliver an award-winning, integrated service to government’s natural resource clients and similar time-saving help to new and growing small businesses.

Rick Thorpe, Minister of Small Business and Revenue and Minister Responsible for Regulatory Reform, opened the local FrontCounter BC office during Small Business Week on behalf of Pat Bell, Minister of Agriculture and Lands. The ministries have partnered to deliver FrontCounter BC and Small Business BC together through the fourth FrontCounter location now officially open in British Columbia.

“This is another client-centred step toward our goal of making British Columbia Canada’s most small-business-friendly jurisdiction,” said Thorpe. “Small Business BC and FrontCounter BC are working together to streamline and expand service delivery to all of government’s small business clients. It’s all about saving entrepreneurs time and helping British Columbia small businesses to keep leading Canada in job creation.”

“The natural resource industry is really embracing FrontCounter BC because it’s a one-stop shop for all their permitting and authorization business needs,” said Bell. “People know that when they enter one of our offices looking for information on natural resources they can expect prompt and professional service. Now, through our partnership with Small Business BC, we’re pleased that we will be able to help even more small business clients with their queries.”

Provincewide, the goals of the partnership between Small Business BC and FrontCounter BC are to:

Increase awareness among clients about each agency’s services.
Help clients access services offered through each partner’s full-service offices.
Provide a single window for resource-based small business owners to access the programs and services needed, saving them time.

“It’s encouraging to me to see government take an award-winning integrated service approach and build on it to better serve all small businesses in British Columbia,” said Mark Nairn, Small Business Roundtable member and past president of the BC Cattlemen’s Association. “As a local small business owner, I am pleased to see government expanding their services to better serve the people in the Cariboo.”

“As president of the local Chamber of Commerce, I know our members will be pleased with the increased access to government programs,” said Roger Solly, president of the Williams Lake Chamber of Commerce. “With services like FrontCounter BC, Small Business BC, and other expanding initiatives like the OneStop Business Registry, government continues to demonstrate its commitment to making small business’s interaction with government as simple and efficient as possible.”

FrontCounter BC took top honours in the cross-government integration category at the Premier’s Innovation and Excellence Awards in March. It provides complete information across the provincial natural resource sector and accepts applications and fees for up to 100 permits, licenses, tenures and related authorizations on behalf of partner agencies. Staff do not lobby to have projects approved, but liaise between clients and host ministries and agencies, advocating for timely decisions and responses.

In addition to its single-window service for clients of provincial natural resource ministries and agencies, FrontCounter BC offers OneStop Business Registry services as well as access to a wide range of government information and services available online via a Community Access Terminal (CAT). FrontCounter BC and Small Business BC clients also have access to toll-free telephone service, Internet access and reciprocal document pick-up and drop-off.

Small Business BC is a non-profit organization funded by the Ministry of Small Business and Revenue and Western Economic Diversification Canada. It delivers services, government programs and timely business information to communities throughout British Columbia.

Entrepreneurs can access services and information related to start up and expansion, financing options and sources, registration and licensing requirements, and government acts and regulations. A business library and bookstore, market research and consultation, business planning services, export consultation, business seminars and e-Business information are also available.

For more information on FrontCounter BC, visit www.frontcounterbc.gov.bc.ca online or call toll-free 1-877-855-3222 (FCBC). For more information on Small Business BC, visit www.smallbusinessbc.ca online or call toll-free 1-800-667-2272.

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Media contact:	Theresa Lumsdon Communications Director Ministry of Small Business and Revenue 250 889-3502	Liz Bicknell Communications Director Ministry of Agriculture and Lands 250 356-2862 250 213-3072 (cell)

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.