Posted on 01/08/2009, 1:25 pm, by mySteinbach

Starting and running a business in the city of Steinbach 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 Vic Toews, President of the Treasury Board, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, together with the Honourable Andrew Swan, Manitoba Minister of Competitiveness, Training and Trade, and Chris Goertzen, Mayor of the City of Steinbach, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Steinbach, Manitoba.

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 Steinbach was developed by the City of Steinbach, the Province of Manitoba and the Government of Canada.

“I am glad to see BizPaL extended to more communities in Manitoba,” said Minister Toews. “It’s an example of government making things easier for Canadians by cutting red tape. At a time of global economic instability, we need to do everything we can to help Canadian businesses, especially small businesses, which create so many of our new jobs. BizPaL is a simple, cost-effective way to provide that kind of practical help.”

“BizPaL is a concrete example of our government’s Single Window for Business Initiative, which is working to ensure that business information and services are easy to find, easy to understand and easy to use,” said Minister Swan. “I am very pleased that BizPaL has been launched in the city of Steinbach to promote the competitiveness of the community in attracting and growing businesses.”

“The new BizPaL application is an exciting addition to the City of Steinbach’s website,” said Mayor Goertzen. “This useful tool will aid in a clear and informed understanding of the business licensing process.”

“The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has been a long-time advocate of BizPaL,” said Shannon Martin, Director of Provincial Affairs, Manitoba, for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. “This initiative offers important benefits to entrepreneurs and government and is something every municipality should be adopting. We applaud the federal government, the Province of Manitoba and the City of Steinbach for embracing BizPaL.”

Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting steinbach.ca or manitoba.ca. The Province is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of Manitoba over the next year.