 Thorold Downtown B.I.A. - promoting buisness in a heritage canal city
The Thorold Business Improvement Association was established on March 18, 1980. The BIA allows local business people and property owners to join together, and with the support of the municipality, they oversee the improvement, beautification and maintenance of municipally owned lands, buildings and structures within the area. We also organize, finance and attempt physical improvements, while trying to promote economic development within the area
Thorold B.I.A. Chair - Serge Carpino
Governed by a Board of Management
Our BIA is governed by a small elected Board of Management, a hired Street Cleaner and a part-time Community Relations Coordinator. Generally, the board consists of 5 members. Council also designates two council representatives. Board members hold office from the time of appointment until the end of the next term of the municipal council, which is now every four years.
Due to our size, we operate without subcommittees and everything is discussed at board and general meetings, once a month. The Municipal Act, 2001 and the BIA Constitution set out roles and responsibilities for the board. The board also has a limited annual budget to work with.
Our BIA regularly reviews and assesses programs and projects. Each year we produce a general report, and we follow a standard business and strategic plan. With our limited budget, we count on added assistance and support from the municipality to make progress.Revitalization and maintenance in our downtown help to create a pleasing, safe, congenial atmosphere that benefits all of our businesses, whether it is retail, professional service firms, entertainment or dining establishments.
Beyond beautification and promotion, a concerted effort is required on the part of the BIA leadership to develop and continue a network of relationships and partnerships with local community groups and institutions.
The key to success in any BIA lies in establishing and maintaining this network. It is only through the combined effort of these local community groups, and especially effort on the part of the individual businesses, that the BIA can truly be successful. We believe everyone plays an important part.
We have established our identity downtown based on our rich history and connection to the Welland Canals. We are also very proud of our Canadian tradition as you will see through the many flags and our slogan “Canada’s Most Patriotic City”. We continue to develop this identity as a means to further promote the local community as an interesting and unique place to visit and do business.
Our BIA is also a vehicle for conveying community concerns to city council and for prompting council to pursue policies and activities that will promote and strengthen the community and its unique identity. Through this, we always want to increase and attract local traffic and tourists.
In our ongoing quest to improve our downtown, we are working on a number of initiatives. They include marketing, business recruitment, streetscape improvement, seasonal decorating and special events. We have also created this website as a tool to provide resources and information for our visitors and members.
There are now more than 230 BIA’s across the province of Ontario. They vary in size from less than 60 businesses to more than 2,000. The BIA concept has also been adopted in many communities across the United Sates, Canada and Europe. We have a city population of 19,000 and we represent approximately 120 downtown businesses.
Click here for the B.I.A. Meeting Schedule |
