SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Starting a business in Yellowknife got a little less complicated this week, with the launch of BizPaL on Oct. 17.

The online service generates a list of required permits and licences from all three levels of government, after entrepreneurs select their location and business.

Mayor Mark Heyck says the new service really "streamlines" the permitting process, something he says Yellowknife needs.

"We've got a fairly complex regulatory environment, and we have a very entrepreneurial business community here as well," he said.

BizPaL is currently offered across Canada, in more than 850 municipalities, available to more than 70 per cent of Canadians. Heyck says BizPaL, which is already in 14 other NWT communities, has been in the works in Yellowknife for the last couple of years. He doesn't know for sure why the capital had to wait for the service.

"It may be that we have a bit more of a complex system here, given the size of Yellowknife and that it's fairly unique in the territorial context," he said.

"It may have been a simpler matter in smaller communities to kind of get it up and running. But we're pleased that it's finally online and able to help entrepreneurs out."

Entrepreneurs are too. When Fletcher Stevens opened the NWT Brewing Co. a year ago, there were a lot of challenges. Needing both hands to count the number of permits required didn't help.

"I think that we had about six different licences just to open our pub," he said.

That's not including the paperwork required for the brewery, from more than one level of government.

"I think, when you're opening a business, there are a lot of questions and unknowns. And you know, you can get discouraged pretty quickly when you're trying to sift through the fields of paperwork," he said. "I think BizPaL is something that a lot of us had brought up would have been handy - you know, a one stop shop."

He added that if nothing else, the site, which provides links to forms that can be filled out online as well as links to various websites to help explain the process, would have cut down the time spent going back and forth between government offices.

Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister Wally Schumann estimates that "over 90 per cent" of businesses in the NWT are small and independently owned.

"I've been in small business, I know exactly what it's all about, you go to apply for all these various things, and you're running all over the place," said Schumann.

"I've been there, I know how overwhelming and daunting it can be to figure out all the different levels of stuff you have to do, from federal to territorial and municipal. A lot of people don't have a clue sometimes on the amount of stuff that's involved, from workers comp to even getting a local business license."

Not knowing may be one of the things that keeps talented people from entering the market, says Stevens.

"It's really tough when you have your own business, and your own skillset that you're trying to focus on, honing your craft," he said.

Meagan Peters agrees. She opened Etandah Organic Day Spa in 2011.

"I think that any tools that you can have to help you are tremendously important to entrepreneurs," she said.

While BizPaL is a good start, Stevens says there is still more that could be done to help the nascent entrepreneur community in Yellowknife.

"There was always these initiatives that the city would speak of, saying that ... they would streamline some of the permitting processes, they've said they would do a lot of that. But when we were going through the process, they didn't," he said.

While BizPaL is a start, Stevens says it might still need the human touch.

"Not so much coddling but a case officer that walks you through and sees it from start to finish, instead of being, 'Here's all the things you need, hand it in there.'"

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