August 11, 2010
One Stop Shop for Business Licences 

SALMON ARM- Opening a business has become easier thanks to BizPaL, an online service that gives entrepreneurs a personalized list of permits and licences needed to establish and run their business.

“Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, our government is demonstrating our commitment to Canada’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by improving access to financing and cutting the red tape businesses face every day,” says Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes. “BizPaL is a great example of the government’s hard work to support SMEs across Canada as they innovate, create jobs and generate wealth in our communities.”

“BizPaL provides a central location for licences and permits, which makes starting a new business much simpler,” says Shuswap MLA George Abbott. “Our government is also eliminating small business tax by 2012, another important step in supporting small business and entrepreneurs in our region.”

Entrepreneurs can use BizPaL to receive a personalized list of the permits and licences needed to establish and run their business. This unique partnership between federal, provincial, territorial, regional and local governments is designed to cut through the paperwork burden small businesses face.

“The introduction of BizPal in the City of Salmon Arm provides another opportunity for new and existing businesses to obtain information about licenses and permits in our community,” says Salmon Arm Mayor Marty Bootsma.

Communities that are officially launching their BizPaL website include Enderby, Golden, Salmon Arm, Sicamous and Spallumcheen.

The BizPaL service was developed with the support of Industry Canada, in collaboration with municipalities and the Province of British Columbia. Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting their municipality’s website.

The Premier’s Innovation and Excellence Awards recognized the BizPaL program in the partnerships category. The goal is to make BizPaL available to all municipalities in British Columbia. 

Visit www.bcBizPaL.ca for more information and to access the websites of participating partners.

Enderby: http://www.cityofenderby.com/siteengine/activepage.asp?PageID=3

Salmon Arm: http://www.salmonarm.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp?PageID=381

Sicamous: http://www.district.sicamous.bc.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp?PageID=92&SearchText=BizPaL

Spallumcheen: http://www.spallumcheentwp.bc.ca/siteengine/ActivePage.asp?PageID=83

For more information about George and the Shuswap constituency, visit www.georgeabbottmla.bc.ca  

Visit Colin’s website at www.colinmayes.ca