ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 downtownhalifax.ca Executive Director’s Message...... 2

Mission...... 4

DHBC Staff...... 4

Board of Directors...... 7

Action Teams...... 9

Advocacy ...... 10

Beautification...... 15

Marketing and Communications ...... 18

Membership Engagement...... 22

Budget...... 25 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE

The 2018 ECMAs Argyle Street Fest, a DHBC sponsorship activation during the 2018 East Coast Music Awards. Photo: Stoo Metz Photography

downtownhalifax.ca 1

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE MESSAGE DIRECTOR’S

NSCAD lit at night through the Gritty to Pretty Façade Lighting Grant. Photo: Stoo Metz Photography

2 downtownhalifax.ca

IT IS AN INCREDIBLE TIME TO BE IN . IT IS INCREDIBLE because we are seeing sustained levels of new development and change to both our skyline and our streetscapes. It is incredible because we are seeing the implementation of new plans, like Centre Plan, Transit’s Moving Forward Together plan, and the Cogswell District plan. It is incredible because, in just the first few months that the new Halifax Convention Centre has been open, we have attracted high-profile events with thousands of delegates, who are exploring our streets and visiting our businesses.

Incredible doesn’t always mean positive, though. Change brings with it upheaval, and for decades, The Argyle we became conditioned to small-scale, incremental and Grafton change. We yearned for new development, but forgot that development brings with it construction streetscape is disruption and some threats to the heritage assets “ winning acclaim EXECUTIVE we cherish. Well-intentioned, municipal plans and fans the still need to be fine-tuned so that they enhance world over. Paul MacKinnon Downtown. Challenges don’t just evaporate with Executive Director growth; they just change. As we look ahead and plan to tackle the challenges that are coming in 2019“ and beyond, we should also pause to enjoy the successes we have experienced. The award-winning Maple residential building has breathed 24-hour life into downtown. The Argyle and Grafton Streetscape is winning acclaim and fans the world over. The hammocks on the Halifax Waterfront never fail to bring a smile to one’s face. We have so much more to look forward to as well, including Queen’s Marque and its new waterfront park, reclaiming Cogswell for people, and the Barrington South Heritage District.

We, your business commission, vow to continue to work hard on your behalf,

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE MESSAGE DIRECTOR’S to continue to make Downtown Halifax a place that, through all of its changes, remains the favourite part of ’s favourite city.

downtownhalifax.ca 3 MISSION

Downtown Halifax Business Commission

(DHBC) exists to DHBC STAFF make Downtown Halifax a great place to live, work, and play through:

• improving business conditions • promoting economic development • supporting the common business interests • creating a positive image

Visitors at the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site.

4 downtownhalifax.ca Kimberly Dossett Ivy Ho Allana MacDonald Mills Director of Operations Director of Communications Director of Marketing

Kuda Ndadzungira Eric Jonsson Membership Engagement Navigator Street Outreach Manager Program Coordinator (Sacha Curran is on parental leave)

downtownhalifax.ca 5 6 downtownhalifax.ca Gordon Whittaker, Chair Renée Fournier Oakport Limited / Sacred Heart School of Halifax A.S. Developments Inc. Matthew Jarsky Adriana Afford, Vice Chair Jarsky Studios Ltd. Argyle Fine Art Jennie King Pino Pagnottella Royal Secretary Treasurer International Tattoo Sterling Properties Dr. Euan McGinty Scott McGaw Ocean Optometry Member-at-Large 2017-2018 Meridia Recruitment Joe McGuinness Legendary Hospitality Group Jennifer Angel, Past-Chair Waterfront Development Mark Peyton Sailor Bup’s Barbershop Dan Bourque Crombie REIT Christian Rankin Obladee Wine Bar, Eric Burchill Wonderlust Media Southwest Properties Limited Jake Whalen Sarah Flynn Halifax Regional Municipality Colour

of members BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF DIRECTORS BOARD have a 72%POSITIVE OUTLOOK Children playing on Downtown Halifax’s prospects in the fountain at Bishop’s Landing. in the next five years. Source: DHBC Membership Key Indicators Survey downtownhalifax.ca 7 2017-2018 ACTION TEAM MEMBERS ACTION

Music fans enjoying the TD Halifax Jazz Festival.

8 downtownhalifax.ca ADVOCACY MARKETING Pino Pagnotella ACTION TEAM ACTION TEAM Sterling Properties

Jennifer Angel Barbara Broome Kelly Rose Waterfront Development The Prince George Hotel Waterfront Development

Eric Burchill Haley Clarke Southwest Properties The Barrington Steakhouse & MEMBERSHIP Limited Oyster Bar ENGAGEMENT ACTION TEAM Matthew Jarsky Erin Esiyok-Prime Jarsky Studios Ltd. Events East Group Dan Bourque Crombie REIT 2017-2018 Scott McGaw Jessica Pettigrew Meridia Recruitment Halifax Developments Limited Dr. Euan McGinty Ocean Optometry Pino Pagnottella Sarah Flynn Sterling Properties Colour Shannon Platt VERB Interactive Gordon Whittaker Renée Fournier Oakport Limited / Sacred Heart School of Halifax Christian Rankin A.S. Developments Inc. Obladee Wine Bar Jennie King Royal Nova Scotia Krista Wadman BEAUTIFICATION International Tattoo Art Gallery of Nova Scotia ACTION TEAM Krista Lingley Adriana Afford Parks Canada Argyle Fine Art Danielle McLean Dan Bourque Bistro Le Coq Crombie REIT Jessica Muzzerall ACTION TEAM MEMBERS ACTION T. J. Maguire Halifax Marriott Waterfront Development Harbourfront Hotel

Peter Wünsch Laura Oakley Breakhouse Legendary Hospitality Group downtownhalifax.ca 9 ADVOCACY

Mayor , moderator Amy Pugsley Fraser, Mayor Pam Mood, and Mayor Danny Breen during The Mayors’ Roundtable at the Downtowns Atlantic Canada Conference. Photo: TJ Maguire

10 downtownhalifax.ca Delegates at the Downtowns Atlantic Canada Conference. Photo: TJ Maguire Panelists Maki Kawaguchi, Jennifer Keesmaat, and Charles Gauthier, and moderator Kourosh Rad, at the Art of City Building Conference. Downtown Halifax Business Commission represents the voices and opinions of over 1,600 individual business members and building owners within the Downtown core. These members range from small entrepreneurs to large, multinational firms. All have a vested interest in the economic prosperity of the Downtown core. Ensuring that these members have a voice in critical issues that affect the Downtown will remain a priority of DHBC.

MUNICIPAL ENHANCING HRM PLANS

ADVOCACY DHBC was one of the participants in the Jennifer Keesmaat STREETSCAPES peer review of the Centre Plan. This year, DHBC will be Action 61 of the “Halifax Economic Growth Plan” calls for working with external consultants on the Cogswell District HRM to develop a long-term streetscaping program for the plan. DHBC is also one of the partners in “Leading with Regional Centre. DHBC has submitted a proposal which Transit,” an advocacy group seeking a fundamental shift in advocates for an ongoing system to prioritize streetscape the way the city experiences public transportation. projects, with funding coming from parking revenues. This would create a sustained program, replicating the success of PARTNERSHIPS the award-winning Argyle and Grafton Shared Streetscape. DHBC values its professional relationships with a number of other organizations, and offers small grants to organizations WORKING WITH HRM ON THEIR PLANS that are able to advance our strategic goals. DHBC is pleased It is vital that the municipalities’ various plans support that in recent years, the number of groups that subscribe to a their master plans, the Regional Plan and the Economic pro-Downtown agenda seems to be growing. Strategy, both of which support a strong Downtown. DHBC is committed to monitoring the progress and providing input ENHANCED FERRY SCHEDULE into all relevant plans. This year, that includes: Cogswell Connection across the harbour is essential for the District, Downtown bike lane network, the Centre Plan, Green businesses and residents of both Downtown Halifax and Network Open Spaces plan (aka the Greenbelt), Moving Downtown Dartmouth. In 2018, working in concert with Forward Together Transit plan, HRM by Design’s review, and the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission, DHBC the Barrington South Heritage Conservation District. successfully lobbied to continue the enhanced level of ferry

downtownhalifax.ca 11 service put in place during the Big Lift. Both organizations will PEDESTRIAN COUNTERS advocate for this continued service in 2019. DHBC installed six electronic pedestrian counters throughout Downtown in early 2014. Data has been collected DOWNTOWN PARKING from the counters on an ongoing basis, and is now available DHBC has published its “Downtown Parking Pitch,” outlining to the members and interested parties. This allows DHBC, solutions, both big and small, for the ongoing challenge of businesses, and commercial brokers to accurately monitor parking. The pitch calls for HRM to more nimbly implement trends, capture event attendance, and provide valuable retail their Downtown parking strategy; focus on the ability to pay information. multiple ways for on-street parking; increase awareness of the availability of existing parking through signage and NAVIGATOR STREET OUTREACH information, and elevate awareness of best practice parking Navigator Street Outreach offers direct support to individuals solutions that have proven to work effectively in other cities. who are homeless, street-involved, and/or precariously HRM has made a renewed commitment to better manage housed in HRM. This initiative is a partnership between city-owned parking, starting with the implementation of the DHBC and Spring Garden Area Business Association, and HotSpot mobile application, and a commitment to upgraded also receives funding from HRM. Built on the belief that information and technology coming in 2019. everyone should have equal access to social services, the mission of the Navigator Street Outreach Program (NSOP) MAIN STREET TAX PLAN is to support service-users to address barriers in accessing The current municipal tax system inadvertently penalizes our housing, education, employment, mental health supports, city’s Downtown and main streets. Working with the other income assistance, addictions treatment, social programs, business improvement districts (BIDs), DHBC will establish a and healthcare. Bringing services directly, NSOP works framework for a new commercial tax plan, which will reduce collaboratively with a variety of community organizations the unfair levels of taxation to the city’s traditional main in efforts to ensure that services users have access to the streets, and act as a disincentive for continued commercial appropriate supports and services required to promote long- sprawl to business parks. term, sustainable change. NSOP is a low-barrier service that is consumer driven and operates from a harm-reduction lens. VISION HALIFAX Navigator Street Outreach is but one essential component Inevitably different plans and initiatives for the urban core do of a comprehensive strategy to end homelessness in the not always work well together. Though each plan contains a community. This year, Eric Jonsson will be overseeing the vision statement, there is a lack of a cohesive vision for our program while Sacha Curran is on parental leave. Downtown. Achieving this will require the coming together of various groups and citizens. This effort can be spearheaded DHBC STRATEGIC PLAN by DHBC, working with models from other Canadian cities. In 2018, DHBC will undergo a comprehensive process to create a new multi-year strategic plan, drawing on the LECTURES expertise of our board of directors, stakeholders, and DHBC is the founder of The Carmichael Lecture, and co- members. This plan will be launched at DHBC’s 2019 Annual founder of the Art of City Building conference, as well as General Meeting. sponsor of other lectures. We firmly believe that sharing ideas from other successful cities and downtowns is of great value.

12 downtownhalifax.ca CONSTRUCTION MITIGATION CHANGES TO LIQUOR LAWS As Downtown sees unprecedented construction, its role DHBC will proactively work with the Restaurant Association is to facilitate communications to the public and impacted of Nova Scotia, event organizers, HRM, and Downtown businesses, and also to inform how construction is regulated. businesses to advocate for modernized liquor laws In 2016, DHBC gave input into the city’s construction pertaining to the purchase, sale, and consumption of alcohol mitigation guidelines, and continues to be an active source of at public events. These changes will need to happen at the feedback. DHBC is also advocating that easement fees paid provincial level. by developers be earmarked for specific use to mitigate the impacts of construction. FEDERAL

PROVINCIAL VALUE OF CANADA’S DOWNTOWNS RESEARCH – PHASE 3 TOOLKIT AND DOWNTOWNS ATLANTIC CANADA PROMOTION Downtowns Atlantic Canada (DAC) is the regional association DHBC, a founding member of International Downtown for business improvement districts (BIDs) in the four Association Canada, oversaw the development of Atlantic provinces. DAC is committed to providing a voice groundbreaking downtown research across 17 Canadian to the region’s downtowns and main streets, and working cities in 2012-2013. Subsequent to that, DHBC worked with cooperatively with other regional associations and the the Canadian Urban Institute to create a research toolkit International Downtown Association. On May 27-29, the that will facilitate the ongoing collection and comparison eight Halifax-area BIDs hosted the annual conference, which of downtown data across all Canadian cities. The toolkit is attracted over 60 delegates. Guest speakers included: Tim now available to all Canadian municipalities. DHBC helped Tompkins, Times Square Alliance; author Michael Shuman; promote it, at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Atlantic Canadian Mayors, Mike Savage, Pam Mood and conference, June 1-3, and is working with HRM and Halifax Danny Breen. DAC’s focus this year will be on working with Partnership to gather comparable local data. This will help the Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs and Atlantic the city make evidence-based Downtown investment and Canada Opportunities Agency on joint strategic initiatives, policy decisions that are comparable to other Canadian and creating a three-year strategic plan. cities.

NOVA SCOTIA MAIN STREETS PROGRAM IDA CANADA Many of Nova Scotia’s towns, including Halifax, saw DHBC is a member of the International Downtown significant investment and improvements in the 1980s Association (IDA), and a founding member of the Canadian- through the Main Street program. For the past number of based advocacy/research name, IDA Canada. 2018 is the years, there has been talk of reviving this program, at the first year of a three-year pilot project to prioritize Canadian provincial level, to help create strong towns with vibrant main issues. DHBC will provide logistical support to the staff point streets. DHBC will work with the BIDs across the province, person, who is based in Halifax. through Downtowns Atlantic Canada, as well as with the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities, with the goal of seeing the province provide funding for a new Main Street program.

downtownhalifax.ca 13 BEAUTIFICATION

14 downtownhalifax.ca The newly named Downtown Halifax Crew, keeping Ferry Boat Lane lit at night through the Gritty to Pretty Downtown clean during the summer. Façade Lighting Grant. Photo: Stoo Metz Photography

Downtown Halifax is the showroom of the Halifax Regional Municipality and it must be clean, safe, and beautiful. DHBC will play a role in planning, advocating for, and undertaking maintenance and beautification efforts.

DOWNTOWN HALIFAX PAINTED PICNIC TABLES CREW AND COOPERATIVE In 2013, DHBC took on a successful tactical MAINTENANCE PROGRAM urbanism program of painted picnic tables in After celebrating 22 years of the program, DHBC Grand Parade and it expanded the following launched a new name and look for its seasonal year to moving the tables around Downtown for clean-up team this year. Formerly known as the events. HRM took on the Grand Parade program, Enviro Team, the Downtown Halifax Crew is a and each summer DHBC has over 45 picnic dedicated team of returning university students tables throughout Downtown to add animation that keeps Downtown Halifax clean throughout and seating options including six wheelchair- the summer. The Crew members, easily identified accessible tables. by light blue T-shirts with question marks printed on the sleeves, is responsible for maintaining STREET BANNERS

BEAUTIFICATION and enhancing the Downtown sidewalks by Street banners highlight and celebrate Halifax’s removing graffiti and posters and painting public first Historic Conservation District. Throughout realm items such as garbage cans and lamp the year, DHBC will continue to oversee the posts. The students also serve as a valuable installation of other banners celebrating Halifax’s resource for tourists and visitors looking for diverse cultural and events. This year, DHBC Mural at Halifax Distilling directions or recommendations. DHBC will anticipates banners celebrating: East Coast Company, made possible once again work and coordinate with HRM and Music Awards, Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon, through the Gritty to Waterfront Development, clearly outlining areas TD Halifax Jazz Festival, Royal Nova Scotia Pretty Open Grant. Photo: Stoo Metz Photography of maintenance responsibility to keep Downtown International Tattoo, Symphony Nova Scotia, and clean and green. The Chronicle Herald Holiday Parade of Lights.

downtownhalifax.ca 15 Halifax Convention Centre. Photo: threesixfive Media Inc

POSTER KIOSKS Parade. This event traditionally kicks off the Downtown Halifax In 2000, DHBC constructed four poster kiosks and nine pole Crew and summer maintenance. Over the years, corporate collars for community advertising. This project provides an and volunteer involvement has grown, and many Downtown alternative space for posters within the public realm to clean up businesses take part by entering their own teams and issuing poster clutter in the Downtown. DHBC is responsible for twice- challenges to competitors and friends. This year, over 160 monthly kiosk maintenance. volunteers participated in this long-standing, annual DHBC event.

CURBSIDE COLLECTION SERVICE GRAFFITI CLEAN-UP The Curbside Waste Management program was created by Whenever a graffiti tag appears on a Downtown building, DHBC DHBC to replace city-collected commercial waste. This service will have it removed. is available to all businesses, institutions, and apartment complexes (with more than six units), in Halifax. The program SEASONAL DECORATIONS sells garbage, recycling, and organic tags, and collection takes During the holiday season, DHBC installs and maintains wreaths place once a week. throughout the Downtown. This year, DHBC launched The Halifax Lights Festival, a month-long celebration of the holiday CLEAN SWEEP season in Downtown Halifax from November 17 to December The 24th Annual Clean Sweep event was held June 6 in Grand 21. The Festival’s anchor attraction was a winter-themed,

16 downtownhalifax.ca nightly interactive light show, called Splendour in the Park, number of grants specifically to improve the architectural which took over Cornwallis Park. DHBC received $16,150 from street-wall lighting of buildings on main commercial streets in Deputy Mayor Waye Mason’s Participatory Budgeting in District the Downtown business district. The nature of the lighting is 7 towards the light installation. meant to focus on improvement of the overall urban experience rather than highlighting business and tenants. This year, the GRITTY TO PRETTY grant program helped illuminate Ferry Boat Lane and St. Paul’s BEAUTIFICATION GRANT Building at 1684 . In 2015, DHBC launched a new beautification program to award a limited number of grants for beautification projects located ARGYLE AND GRAFTON STREETSCAPE in Downtown Halifax. These projects contribute to DHBC’s Halifax’s Argyle and Grafton Shared Streetscape project was beautification efforts to make Downtown Halifax welcoming to the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada and is revitalizing the locals and visitors alike. Some examples of the Gritty to Pretty entertainment district of Downtown Halifax. The goal was Grant projects from 2017 include: painted pianos for public to create a flexible plaza-like environment that prioritizes use in three downtown locations; a mural at Halifax Distilling pedestrians over cars on three city blocks. The curbless design Company; decorative chain-link art; transformation of a promoted a pedestrian-oriented streetscape by slowing traffic, garbage can into a flower arrangement; decorative tree lighting; removing on-street parking in favour of pedestrian space, and positive sidewalk messages in special “invisible paint” that supporting local businesses with year-round patios, and appeared when it rained. The Façade Lighting Grant started as a fostering social interactions through public amenities and art to pilot project in 2015. The Façade Lighting Grant awards a limited reinforce Argyle and Grafton Streets as a destination.

DOWNTOWN HALIFAX PRIORITIES TOP TO ENCOURAGE VISITATION: 1. PARKING RATES AND AVAILABILITY 2. BETTER3 CITY PLANNING 3. MORE DOWNTOWN EVENTS

Source: DHBC Membership Key Indicators Survey

downtownhalifax.ca 17 MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Entertainment at the Share the Street Party celebrating the new Argyle and Grafton Streetscape. Photo: Stoo Metz Photography

18 downtownhalifax.ca Show Your Downtown Love Valentine’s campaign. Makayla Lynn performing at Tunes at Noon in Haunt the Downtown Halloween campaign. Grand Parade. DHBC promotes the Downtown core as a place to work, shop, dine, be entertained, and live. Specifically, DHBC is focused on reaching Downtown workers, urban dwellers, students, visitors (cruise ship passengers, convention delegates, and tourists), and suburban couples/families. DHBC’s marketing programs promote: Downtown as a destination; existing businesses; and Downtown’s advantages as a place to invest and open a business. DHBC also works with event organizers to attract great events to Downtown, and to ensure they are successful for both the organizers and the members. The ultimate focus is to put “feet on the street.”

Downtown businesses, and makes it easy for tourists and locals, MARKETING & PROMOTIONS AND CAMPAIGNS DHBC runs several promotions and campaigns throughout the alike, to find out what’s going on Downtown and where to find year targeted towards key audiences. 2017 programs included it. The events calendar is a go-to resource and the Downtown the spring “Eventful Year Downtown” campaign, student- Happenings e-newsletter automatically lets our audience know focused promotions (Welcome to Downtown BBQ), holiday what events are coming up every single week. programming (Halifax Lights Festival), and winter campaigns (Show Your Downtown Love and March Break Downtown). As DHBC EVENTS part of these promotions, DHBC develops materials such as DHBC organizes several events that happen Downtown, posters, rack cards, maps, and/or swag. DHBC also coordinates including: The Halifax Lights Festival, Clean Sweep, March co-op advertising and general branding opportunities with Break Downtown, Tunes at Noon, DHBC Holiday Party, and

COMMUNICATIONS other partners and/or members. other seasonal programming. DHBC also actively participates in and promotes events such as Open City, Savour Food & Wine, DOWNTOWN HAPPENINGS E-NEWSLETTER Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon, City Harvest, St. Patrick’s AND DOWNTOWNHALIFAX.CA Day Parade, and the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, The DHBC website is integrated with the member database of plus other events and festivals, and is a Founding Partner of

downtownhalifax.ca 19 Performers at the Halifax Busker FestivalFreak Lunchbox, on the Halifax Barrington Waterfront. Street

20 downtownhalifax.ca The Chronicle Herald Holiday Parade of Lights. In 2017, DHBC organized the Argyle “Share the Street” party to celebrate the DHBC MEMBERSHIP completion of the new pedestrian-friendly shared Argyle and Grafton Streets, and a revitalized entertainment district.

EVENT SPONSORSHIPS DOAWARENESS: MEMBERS KNOW THEY ARE MEMBERS? DHBC offers a limited number of sponsorships for events that contribute to DHBC’s strategic goals. DHBC’s Marketing Action Team, comprised of DHBC members, evaluates all sponsorship opportunities against a set of criteria. DHBC also hosted an

event organizers forum in 2017 to see how DHBC can best 16% RETAIL support all events in non-financial ways.

PARTNERSHIPS There are many organizations already doing innovative initiatives in the Downtown and toward our strategic objectives, and DHBC wants to encourage them in their great work through 84% dialogue and modest financial support. Some organizations we have partnered with include: the Halifax Convention Centre, Discover Halifax, Waterfront Development, I Love Local HFX, NO and the Mayor’s office. In 2017, we partnered with the Halifax YES Convention Centre, Discover Halifax and the Halifax Stanfield International Airport on the new Delegates Welcome Program, which aims to give convention delegates and event participants a consistent and memorable welcome message.

PARKING INITIATIVES As well as advocacy, DHBC is focused on easy enhancements to mitigate the perception of parking problems in Downtown. In 45% 55% the first half of 2017, the DHBC Meter Fairy continued to top up parking meters to help visitors avoid getting tickets. DHBC has

also produced a Park Smart brochure, which outlines where to NON-RETAIL park, the costs, and other tips for easy parking Downtown. Park Smart can also be found on the DHBC website for easy access (downtownhalifax.ca/parksmart). This past winter, we partnered with HotSpot Parking to offer free parking through their new HotSpot Parking app at all meters in the Downtown core for (UP 7% SINCE 2016) Freak Lunchbox, Barrington Street Valentine’s Day and March Break. This initiative will replace the Meter Fairy going forward. Source: DHBC Membership Key Indicators Survey

downtownhalifax.ca 21 MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT

Sailor Bup’s Barbershop. Photo: Riley Smith

22 downtownhalifax.ca It is important for DHBC’s 1,600 members and funding partners to know what DHBC does. DHBC works to continuously increase awareness and involvement among members, enabling them to take advantage of the many services offered. It is also essential that DHBC liaises with the rest of the community to ensure that there is no duplication of tasks that other organizations are doing.

DHBC STOREFRONT MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS DHBC has its headquarters right on Barrington Street. But Not every member wants to sit on the board or an action it is not just an office, it is also a storefront presence where team, so DHBC created other openings for engagement. members can meet and interact with staff and one another; DHBC now has a full suite for networking and interaction visitors can come and learn about the urban core; retail can opportunities, including: retail roundtables, Annual General try out new concepts and display and promote their products Meeting, lunch & learns, neighbourhood events, new and services; and DHBC partners can share their projects, development meetings, landlord forums, developer forums, etc. Please drop in! Summer Party, and Holiday Party.

DATABASE AND ONLINE MEMBERS MEMBERSHIP COMMUNICATIONS CENTRE DHBC communicates on a regular basis with its members

MEMBERSHIP A comprehensive database of the 1,600 DHBC members will through e-bulletins, notices, event invitations, bi-weekly continue to be updated and maintained. The DHBC website updates, this annual report, and of course, face-to-face and ENGAGEMENT also has an online Members Centre with news, resources, telephone conversations. and information intended specifically to assist our members. www.twitter.com/downtownhalifax This online resource is accessible with a DHBC online www.facebook.com/downtownhalifax members account. www.instagram.com/downtownhalifax LinkedIn Group: Downtown Halifax Business Commission DOWNTOWN DOORS AND UPPER YouTube: DHBC1 FLOORS Every new business is personally visited and welcomed to MEMBER SERVICES the Downtown. A new Members Handbook is distributed Beyond the proactive services that DHBC offers, it is also the to all new businesses. Also, an information piece is being one-stop shop for member needs – large and small. DHBC produced, which will be given to commercial landlords to give remains dedicated to responding to member concerns or to their new tenants, so that they can immediately connect queries – whether it is something that DHBC can control or to DHBC. It will contain an invitation to our storefront to learn whether it means finding the answer for you. more about what DHBC does on their behalf.

downtownhalifax.ca 23 The completed Argyle and Grafton Shared Streetscape project. Photo: T.J. Maguire

24 downtownhalifax.ca REVENUE

Members Levy $1,164,237 Advocacy $91,000 Beautification $80,340 Communications & Marketing $24,346 Member Engagement $17,407 Administrative $12,983

$1,390,313 Carry forward from 2017-2018 $90,806

TOTAL REVENUE $1,481,119

OPERATING EXPENSES

Advocacy $229,975

2018-2019 BUDGET Beautification $228,660 Communications & Marketing $331,793 Member Engagement $76,322 Administrative $614,369

TOTAL EXPENDITURES $1,481,119

SURPLUS (DEFICIT) $(0)

downtownhalifax.ca 25 DOWNTOWN HALIFAX BUSINESS COMMISSION 1546 Barrington Street, Suite 104 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3J 3X7 Tel: (902) 423-6658 | Fax: (902) 429-0865 Email: [email protected]

DOWNTOWNHALIFAX.CA

26 downtownhalifax.ca