Starting a small business in North Vancouver just got faster and easier with the opening of a new one stop business registration centre at the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce.

The One-Stop Business Registration centre was officially opened as part of Chamber of Commerce Week by B.C. Senator Raymond J. Perrault (North Shore-Burnaby), representing Ron J. Duhamel, Secretary of State for Western Economic Diversification Canada. The federal-provincial program is sponsored by Western Economic Diversification and the B.C. Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and Culture.

"British Columbians are leading the country in starting small businesses," said Senator Ray Perrault, on behalf of Ron J. Duhamel, Secretary of State for Western Economic Diversification. "This single-window access to registration saves time and effort. I'm glad to see a dynamic organization like the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce take advantage of this award-winning service."

"Business people have told us to provide services that are quick and easy to use," said Mr. Ian Waddell, Minister of Small Business, Tourism and Culture. "The One Stop Business Registration program is one way we're doing that for small business. It's a cost-effective way of improving service to a sector that makes up 99 per cent of the businesses in the province."

Through one-stop business registration, entrepreneurs can use an interactive computer workstation to register with the most often-used federal and provincial agencies. The software guides entrepreneurs through the process of entering the required information and automatically forwards the information to the appropriate agency. Registration takes as little as 20 minutes.

At a one-stop business registration location, entrepreneurs can register:

• for the provincial sales tax;
• with Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (GST, payroll deductions, import/export accounts and corporate income tax);
• with the Registrar of Companies; and
• with Workers Compensation.

"The North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce is delighted to provide this excellent service to businesses on the North Shore," said chamber president and general manager Judi Ainsworth.

The One Stop Business Registration program won the 1999 Public Sector Technology Award for innovative partnerships. These awards recognize leadership, innovation and excellence in technology in the public sector.

British Columbia's 59 one stop business registration centres are in government agents' offices, community futures development corporations, economic development offices, municipal halls and chambers of commerce. The North Vancouver one stop centre is located at the Chamber of Commerce office at 131 E. 2nd St. For a list of other one stop locations, check www.osbr.sb.gov.bc.ca

For additional information, contact:
 
Jean-Pierre Roy
Communications Manager
Western Economic Diversification Canada
Vancouver, B.C.
(604) 666-1318

Paige MacFarlane
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Small Business, Tourism
and CultureVictoria, B.C.
(250) 953-4692