CHATHAM-KENT — Starting and running a business in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent 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, Bev Shipley, Member of Parliament for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, on behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, together with the Honourable Ted McMeekin, Ontario’s Minister of Government and Consumer Services and Randy Hope, Mayor of the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Chatham-Kent.

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. The BizPaL service in Chatham-Kent was developed with the support of Industry Canada, in collaboration with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and the Province of Ontario.

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

“We’re strengthening Ontario’s economic advantage by helping businesses start up and expand quickly and easily in this province,” Minister McMeekin said.  “Our government is focused on building a globally competitive and innovative economy in Ontario.”

“In Chatham-Kent, we support our businesses,” said Mayor Hope.  “From the smallest to the largest, their success is the community's success and so we do everything we can to support them.  BizPal is a fine addition to the many services that our municipality provides, and we're very pleased to be part of this partnership.”

Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting “E-Services” at www.chatham-kent.ca or www.serviceontario.ca/bizpal . The Province is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of Ontario over the next year.