CIPA Celebrates Breakthrough in Service Delivery to Businesses

	For More Information: Contact: norm.kirkpatrick@cipa.com (905) 952 0778

BizPaL program honoured by Canadian Information Productivity Awards

TORONTO, November 1, 2006 – A groundbreaking IT program that is reducing the regulatory burden on small businesses and advancing the efficiency of government service delivery has received one of the top business awards in Canada.

The Canadian Information Productivity Awards (CIPA) conferred the Diamond Award of Excellence for its 2006 competition on a federal government program named BizPaL, which provides an online service that identifies the specific permits and licences required from all levels of government to either start or expand a business.

“BizPaL is a historic advancement in government service delivery and exemplifies what innovation means to Canada’s economy,” said Norm Kirkpatrick, President and CEO of CIPA. “The technological advance made by BizPaL, enabling all levels of government to share information and deliver it at one point of contact, will ultimately produce incalculable savings for all Canadians. This is a turning point well worth celebrating.”

Administered by the BizPaL Secretariat of Industry Canada, and available as a service offered on the Web sites of participating municipalities, the program is rapidly spreading across the country. Its innovative technology enables all levels of government to seamlessly display to businesses both their own data and the relevant data of other partners. This not only reduces the paperwork burden on businesses but provides a model for all levels of government in collaboratively improving services to the one taxpayer they all serve.

CIPA, Canada’s oldest and largest awards program in the field of information technology, presented a total of 24 awards for excellence before a black-tie audience of almost 900 senior executives from across Canada during the 14th annual CIPA Gala Banquet, the largest celebration of IT-based innovation in Canada.

“Canadian competitiveness and productivity continue to be critical factors that will affect our nation’s long-term economic health,” said Michael Roach, President and Chief Executive Officer of CGI, the Managing Sponsor of CIPA. “To prosper and compete in the global economy, Canadian organizations must continue to seek ways to be more innovative.

“In an impressive variety of ways, CIPA winners have demonstrated that innovative thinking leads to IT-enabled business solutions. These solutions improve the competitive health of their respective organizations and in turn, set an important example for others in Canada’s private and public sectors to follow.”

Whoops of exultation erupted at the Westin Harbour Castle Conference Centre as executives from both public and private-sector organizations heard that they had won the high-prestige awards from a field of 64 finalists and 75 innovative projects gleaned from a field of 150 submissions from across Canada.

Awards were presented in four categories:
efficiency and operational improvements; customer care; organizational transformation and innovation. BizPaL was also the winner of the Gold Award in the Customer Care Not For Profit category.

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) received the award for Exceptional Innovation, new this year, for introducing to the world a security system to identify and validate instant entry by airport workers to sensitive airport operations using dual biometrics – fingerprint and iris scanners in combination. CATSA’s solution is exceptional in protecting Canadians and all airport passengers from threats of global terrorism.

Winners of the 2006 competition, by category, are as follows:

About the Canadian Information Productivity Awards

CIPA is Canada’s oldest and largest awards program in the field of information technology and the premier showcase for Canadian IT and innovation.

It is supported by Managing Sponsor CGI Group Inc., and leading industry technology companies Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Co. and CA Canada, as well as: IDC Canada, research partner; Rogers Communications Inc., IT World Canada and High Road Communications, media partners, and technology associations CATA, CHITTA, CIPS, CME, COACH, FiQ and ITAC.

The mission of CIPA is to recognize and celebrate excellence that fosters innovation and enhanced global competitiveness in Canada. This is achieved through recognizing organizations that have successfully developed and implemented innovative IT-based projects in the areas of customer care, operations and efficiency, organizational transformation and innovation that achieve significant productivity gains for their organizations.

For further information, contact:
Norm Kirkpatrick
President & CEO, Canadian Information Productivity Awards
905-695-6590, norm.kirkpatrick@cipa.com

Lawrence Moule
Director of Communications, CIPA
416-458-4410, lawrence.moule@cipa.com