IN IT TOGETHER: BRINGING BACK CANADA’S MAIN STREETS Action Report October 2020 IN IT TOGETHER: BRINGING BACK CANADA’S MAIN STREETS: ACTION REPORT PAGE 1 Contents Acknowledgements 3 Executive Summary 7 1 Introduction 9 1.1 About this Report 11 What is a Main Street? 12 2 A Snapshot of Canada’s Main Streets 13 2.1 The Value of Main Street 14 2.2 Main Street Trends and Challenges 16 How Movement Has Changed on Main Streets 19 3 Actions for Policy Makers and Main Street Stakeholders 22 3.1 The Actions 23 #1: People 26 #2: Places 31 #3: Anchors 35 #4: Business 39 #5: Leadership 45 4 A Call to “Action” for Main Street Policy Makers and BBMS Partners 50 IN IT TOGETHER: BRINGING BACK CANADA’S MAIN STREETS: ACTION REPORT PAGE 2 Acknowledgements This Action Report is the result of a tremendous collaboration among main street stakeholders across Canada. We are grateful for the energetic and innovative contributions of the Partner Network, Steering Committee and research team, as well as the many volunteers who responded quickly to provide their insight and ideas to the Bring Back Main Street (BBMS) campaign. BBMS Partner Network Researcher Partners Steering Committee CUI Staff & Associates Beach Village BIA, BC LOCO, Black Business and 360 Collective Chris Rickett, Mary W. Rowe, Professionals Association, Bloor-Yorkville BIA, Happy City City of Toronto President & CEO Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council, Fathom Studio Canadian Business Resilience Network, Canadian JC Williams Group Giovanna Boniface, Selena Zhang, Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Federation of Environics Analytics RAIC Director, Strategy and Special Independent Business, Canadian Institute of Planners, Jason Gillian, Projects Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, CGLCC: Human Environments Analysis Lisa Cavicchia, Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce, City of Laboratory Western University; Program Director Calgary, City of Edmonton, City of Toronto, City of Vancouver, Council for Canadian Urbanism, Develop John Fleming, André Côté, Nova Scotia, Downtown Halifax Business Commission, Council for Canadian Urbanism Director of Research (Acting) Downtown Hamilton BIA, Downtown London BIA, Jon Shell, Ariana Holt, Downtown Victoria Business Association, Downtown Save Small Business Senior Planner and BBMS Winnipeg BIZ, Downtown Yonge BIA, Environics, Project Director Financial District BIA, Glebe BIA, ICOMOS Canada, Jake Stacey, Kamloops North Shore BIA, National Trust for Canada, Vancity Community Investment Juan Luis Garrido, Newtown BIA, OCAD University, Ontario Business Bank Communications Manager Improvement Area Association, Ontario Chamber of Kate Hammer, Glenn Miller, Commerce, Regina Downtown BID, Retail Council Vancity Senior Associate of Canada, Royal Architecture Institute of Canada, Rues principales, Save Canadian Small Business, Mark Garner, Daniel Liadsky, St. Lawrence BIA, STEPS Initiative, Strathcona BIA, Downtown Yonge BIA. GIS Specialist Tamarack Institute, Trinity Centres Foundation, The Patrick Gill, Dina Graser, Waterfront BIA, Toronto Entertainment District BIA, Canada Chamber of Commerce Senior Advisor Vancouver Economic Commission, Wellington West BIA, West End BIZ, Wexford Heights BIA Rob Pajot, National Trust for Canada And the many municipalities, Thom Mahler, business associations and subject City of Calgary matter experts who participated in the BBMS focus groups, City Talks and conversations. Report design: by Sali Tabacchi IN IT TOGETHER: BRINGING BACK CANADA’S MAIN STREETS: ACTION REPORT PAGE 3 Funders Bring Back Main Street is supported by Business Improvement Areas/Districts/Zones and economic development organizations across Canada, including: Bloor-Yorkville BIA City of Calgary City of Toronto Develop Nova Scotia Downtown Halifax Business Commission Downtown Winnipeg BIZ Downtown Yonge BIA Entertainment District BIA Financial District BIA Halifax Partnership St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood BIA Waterfront BIA WestEnd Biz The BBMS Block Studies are supported by Vancity and Vancity Community Investment Bank. IN IT TOGETHER: BRINGING BACK CANADA’S MAIN STREETS: ACTION REPORT PAGE 4 Glossary of Terms Anchors BIPOC Business Local business Independent Main street Small associations improvement business business Critical community Acronym for Black, The location of groups facilities and Indigenous and A range of Businesses that concentrations of Privately owned institutions. They People of Colour. organizations There are several are privately or commercial activity corporations, include community The term is used whose mission names used to refer cooperatively in a community, partnerships, or spaces like schools, to highlight that is to support to local business owned and often including a variety sole proprietorships parks, markets, these groups are the business improvement small-scale of independent that have less than faith buildings, severely impacted community, such groups representing and local. businesses. They 100 paid employees. cultural institutions by systemic racial as chambers of a specific Decision-making are social gathering such as theatres discrimination. commerce, national geography, is vested in the places that are often and museums, and retail associations, including: owner and free from host to community civic institutions and associations for outside control. amenities and Business such as libraries, businesses owned They typically have cultural institutions, Improvement Areas government and operated by a limited number of including libraries, (BIAs) buildings, and particular cultural locations, enabling theatres, faith post-secondary groups. Business the owner to buildings, campuses. Improvement oversee services community Districts (BIDs) that are tailored to centres, schools, the location. post-secondary Business institutions, parks, Improvement Zones squares and (BIZs) laneways. Société de développement commercials (SDCs) IN IT TOGETHER: BRINGING BACK CANADA’S MAIN STREETS: ACTION REPORT PAGE 5 1. INTRODUCTION IN IT TOGETHER: BRINGING BACK CANADA’S MAIN STREETS: ACTION REPORT PAGE 6 Executive Summary Canada’s main streets are iconic symbols of urban life and belonging, and indicators of the health of our cities and towns. Main streets are where we go to work and shop, meet friends, and participate in civic life. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the challenges The Actions that main streets have experienced in recent years and created new and heightened challenges that demand The actions presented in this report are informed by urgent action. research conducted by CUI’s partners in a series of This Action Report reinforces the value of main Solution Briefs, BBMS Block Studies, Memos from streets to cities and communities, assesses how Main Street, CUI’s related COVID-19 platforms, and they have been impacted through the COVID-19 research, proposals, and ideas developed by BBMS public health emergency, and offers a set of specific partners and thinkers from across Canada. proposals to sustain and bolster them through the While the actions are intended to be relevant to pandemic and beyond. It is the outcome of extensive main street stakeholders from cities and communities research and consultations coordinated by the across Canada, we recognize that not all of the actions Canadian Urban Institute as part of its Bring Back will be a priority for every community. The type of Main Street (BBMS) campaign with partners and main street (e.g. business district, neighbourhood or communities across Canada. small town), local and regional issues, and the degree The purpose of this report is to inform to which COVID-19 has impacted the community are decision-making by policy makers at all levels of all considerations for determining which actions are government, and other main street partners in applicable in a particular community. communities of all sizes. It provides actionable The actions are organized around five elements of solutions, options, ideas, and examples that can a successful main street: People, Places, Anchors, be used to support and strengthen main street Businesses, and Leadership. Together they present a businesses, organizations, and communities, and range of options, from research to urban planning to enable them to survive and recover from the pandemic tax reform. crisis. A realistic timeframe for implementation of each action is also provided. Immediate actions address the urgent challenges that should be a priority, while Next and Longer-term actions should follow, as they require strategy that will involve further research, analysis, debate, and collaboration between multiple stakeholders. IN IT TOGETHER: BRINGING BACK CANADA’S MAIN STREETS: ACTION REPORT PAGE 7 Priority Actions Based on our research and input from the consultation process, we have identified a list of priority actions from the longer list that we believe would have enormous impact. The immediate priority actions are marked red and the medium to long-term ones are marked in yellow , throughout the report. A full list of actions is included in Section 3. Immediate Actions Next and Longer-term Actions Promote and support year-round sidewalk cafes and patios by Develop a national strategy on mental health, addictions, and street We Need Bold reducing or eliminating fees, streamlining approvals, and allowing involvement; and provide increased, targeted funding to support Action annual permits (Action 2.6) collaborative partnerships that address these issues (Action 2.11) The job of bringing back Develop local plans, strategies,