Oshawa City Council has voted to disband the Oshawa Business Improvement Area (BIA) during a meeting on Thursday, December 10, 2020.
There has been no indication as to whether or not City Council would cease to hold all events, maintain the beautification efforts, marketing, and shut down the website and social media presence. Council has also not indicated how they would fund any of the BIA initiatives if they were to continue them, said a BIA statement issued yesterday.
The Oshawa Business Improvement Area referred to as the BIA, is a geographically defined area that takes in the commercial area of the downtown core. It is funded by a BIA levy paid directly by the downtown property owners and indirectly by the tenants of those properties.
The BIA is not funded directly or indirectly by the City of Oshawa or the general taxpayers of the City of Oshawa,
The general functions of a traditional BIA are to oversee the improvement, beautification and maintenance of municipally-owned land, buildings and structures in the area beyond that provided at the expense of the municipality generally and to promote the area as a business or shopping area. The BIA fulfills its mandate in many ways such as:
Holding Events: Every August, the BIA holds the very popular Kars on King which attracts thousands of people to our downtown core. The BIA also holds or partners in the Wine Festival, Bikes on Bond, Summer Fest, the Butter Tart Festival, as well as the Bright and Merry Market. These events bring thousands of visitors and tens of thousands of dollars to our hotels, restaurants, bars and merchants. All of these events are funded through the member levy, grants from community partners and the City of Oshawa’s Anchor Grant which pays for road closures.
Beautification Efforts: The BIA designs, prints, installs and maintains the banners that beautify our downtown. We have also recently designed and installed the pole wraps which beautify the hydro poles that still exist in the downtown area as well as commission murals to help discourage graffiti. The BIA recently installed the holiday wreaths, as well as every winter providing the winter greenery throughout the downtown. The BIA also provides support and volunteers for the annual Communities with Brooms clean-up day. All of this is done at no cost to the City of Oshawa or its residents.
Economic Development: The BIA has published and distributed thousands of the hugely successful Let’s Eat Restaurant Guide featuring downtown eateries, which has helped establish downtown Oshawa as a culinary hub. The BIA assists in attracting and aiding new businesses to open up downtown. The Discover This Space program and other initiatives have been helpful in attracting new businesses downtown. All of this is done at no cost to the City of Oshawa or its residents.
Marketing: The BIA has developed and maintains a very professional and extensive website which provides information on all of the businesses and services that are available in the BIA. The BIA also maintains a strong social media presence with over 7000 followers across numerous platforms. The City of Oshawa has recently requested the assistance of the BIA in supporting the Oshawa Loves Local campaign which the BIA has gladly supported.
The BIA plays many other roles in the smooth functioning of our downtown. For instance, advocating with City Hall on behalf of members and businesses, directing businesses through the many stages of Covid related shutdowns and restrictions, fielding questions and providing information to citizens, and to tourists who are requesting information on available services, keeping Durham Regional Police Services informed of problems and trouble spots. All of this is done, again, at no cost to the City of Oshawa or its residents.
The BIA is operated by a board of directors, comprised of 7 downtown Oshawa property and business owners and 3 community members, who receive no payment, no perks, no expense accounts, and no reimbursement of personal expenses. They serve on the board of directors because they want to do their part in contributing to a vibrant and welcoming downtown, that the citizens of Oshawa and beyond can come to, to shop, work, play, dine and enjoy entertainment.
“The current board of directors has enjoyed the privilege of serving the downtown property owners, tenants and merchants. The hope is that the City of Oshawa will continue to provide the level of service that the BIA has provided over the last 46 years and helps Downtown Oshawa flourish into the vibrant place we know it can be,” the statement added.