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Business New Brunswick Minister Greg Byrne says he hopes a new one-stop service meant to help business owners cut through red tape will lead to the creation of more small businesses.

New Brunswick is the latest province to sign onto BizPaL, a service that offers online access to information on all federal, provincial and municipal permits, licences and regulations a business might need.

"You want to encourage people with business start-ups and one way to do that is to simplify the process, make it easy and take away some of the anxiety of starting up a small business," Byrne said after signing a memorandum of understanding with Diane Ablonczy, the federal secretary of state for small business and tourism.

Byrne said the service will be of particular use to start-ups and businesses looking to expand into New Brunswick.

Service New Brunswick will administer BizPaL on behalf of the provincial government. Pilot projects begin this summer in Fredericton and Edmundston.

Ablonczy said the service reduces paperwork for businesses by providing easy, one-step access to essential information and forms.

She said the service is meant to "let businesspeople do what they do best: create wealth and quality of life."

"What used to take seven-and-a-half hours will now be done in 15 minutes," she said.

Andreea Bourgeois, director of New Brunswick affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the tool will be useful for business people.

"If you go on the website and say I want to open a bed and breakfast in Fredericton, it shows you the permits it needs, and it shows you how much it costs and in what order you need for these permits."

A process that used to take hours or even days will be cut down to a matter of minutes.

"In the past, you would go to 10 different departments, talk to people and run around ... Now, you can save time and money and do it all sitting in front of your computer."

While a number of factors go into deciding whether to open a business, Bourgeois said it certainly makes the process easier.

Bourgeois said it will also be a worthwhile tool in comparing jurisdictions and ensuring a competitive playing field.

New Brunswick is the ninth province to sign onto the deal.