Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise my colleagues that the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment has entered into an agreement with Industry Canada that will provide prospective business owners and entrepreneurs in the Northwest Territories with an easy and convenient means to access the critical information they need to establish and run a business.
The initiative is called BizPaL. It is an online service that provides businesses with one-stop access to permit and licence information for all levels of Government in the Northwest Territories and across Canada. Future entrepreneurs need only to answer a series of questions on the type of business they want to start or operate and the activities they plan to undertake. The BizPaL system will then automatically generate a list of all permits and licences required by all levels of governments. In addition, BizPaL will guide users to additional background information and links to the government sites where they can learn more and eventually even apply online.
Mr. Speaker, BizPaL will allow N.W.T. residents to cut through the paperwork and red tape that may impede or discourage them from pursuing their dream of owning and operating a small business.
For government, BizPaL provides the assurance that business clients will have information they need to meet all permit and licence requirements quickly and efficiently. It reflects not only this Assembly’s priority to support the development of small businesses and a sustainable local economy but also to seek out more client-focused, service-oriented approaches to delivering government information to N.W.T. residents.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Hon. Diane Ablonczy, Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism, for joining us in Yellowknife today on behalf of Industry Canada to formally acknowledge their jurisdiction’s shared commitment to the BizPaL initiative.
Departmental officials will be working in the coming months to finalize our network of N.W.T. partners. And I look forward to adding BizPaL to the growing list of programs and services provided by the G.N.W.T. in support of N.W.T. business.
