NEWS RELEASE COMMUNIQUÉ

For Immediate Release 2008SBR0040-001259 Aug. 20, 2008	Ministry of Small Business and Revenue
PENTICTON JOINS THE BIZPAL NETWORK

PENTICTON — Opening a new business in Penticton 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.

 

The launch of BizPaL in Penticton was welcomed today by Stockwell Day, Minister for Public Safety and MP for Okanagan-Coquihalla, on behalf of Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry; together with Bill Barisoff, Speaker of the House and MLA for Penticton-Okanagan Valley; and Penticton Mayor Jake Kimberley.

 

“BizPaL is part of our government’s economic plan, laid out in Advantage Canada, to provide an innovative and entrepreneurial business environment,” said Minister Day. “The Government of Canada is pleased to be working with the Province of British Columbia and the City of Penticton to promote a more competitive and productive local economy by providing easy access to essential information and reducing paperwork costs for businesses.”

 

“BizPaL is another important tool to help support our valuable small business community,” said Barisoff.  “As government at all levels continues to reduce red tape, small business owners in turn spend less time dealing with paperwork and more time growing their operations as it should be.”

 

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.

 

"BizPaL provides Penticton with an exciting new opportunity to serve our small business community," said Mayor Kimberley. “I’d like to thank our council for their support in bringing BizPaL to Penticton.”

 

“BizPaL is a user-friendly, time-saving tool to help cut red tape and reflect our government’s commitment to making British Columbia Canada’s most small-business friendly jurisdiction,” said Kevin Krueger, Minister of Small Business and Revenue and Minister responsible for Regulatory Reform. “This is what can be achieved when all levels of government work together in partnership.”

 

 

 

The BizPaL service in Penticton was developed with the support of Industry Canada, in collaboration with the City of Penticton and the Province of British Columbia. Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting www.penticton.ca and clicking ‘Online Services’ and ‘BizPaL’.

 

The BizPaL program was recently recognized for its successes with a Premier’s Innovation and Excellence award in the Partnerships category. The goal is to have BizPaL available to all municipalities in British Columbia by 2010.

 

Visit www.bcBizPaL.ca for additional project history and information and to access the websites of participating partners.

 

- 30 -

 

Media contact:	Catherine Godbout Office of the Honourable Diane Ablonczy Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism) 613 947-5856	Media Relations Industry Canada 613 943-2502
	Christine Wood Communications Director Ministry of Small Business and Revenue, Province of British Columbia 250 387-4193	Linda Toker Deputy City Clerk City of Penticton 250 490-2405
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.