TABLE OF CONTENTS TORONTO/TABIA FACTSHEET _________________________________________________ 2 THE BIA STORY __________________________________________________________ 3 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF TABIA __________________________________________ 4 TABIA ORGANIZATIONAL CHART ______________________________________________ 5-7 TABIA COMMITTEES Tax _______________________________________________________________ 8-9 Marketing & Communications ______________________________________________ 10 Tourism ____________________________________________________________ 11 Transportation ________________________________________________________ 12-13 Task Force on Crime ____________________________________________________ 14 TABIA WEBSITE _________________________________________________________ 15 TABIA MILESTONES AND ACHIEVEMENTS ________________________________________ 16-17 GREENTBIZ ____________________________________________________________ 18 TABIA DISCOUNTS & SAVINGS PROGRAMS Savings for BIA Boards __________________________________________________ 19-20 Savings for Member Businesses ____________________________________________ 21-22 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROJECT ___________________________ 24 ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT _____________________________ 25 CITY OF TORONTO BIA OFFICE Commercial Area Advisors ________________________________________________ 26-27 Community Advisor Designers ______________________________________________ 26-27 Councillors __________________________________________________________ 26-27 BIA DESCRIPTIONS & CONTACTS ______________________________________________ 28-48 BIA KEY MAP ___________________________________________________________ 38-39 TEMPORARY SIGNS BY-LAW _________________________________________________ 49 POSTERING BY-LAW ______________________________________________________ 49 GRAFFITI ABATEMENT PROGRAM _____________________________________________ 50 WHO DOES WHAT AT THE CITY _______________________________________________ 51-53 Permits, Right of Way Management, BIA Budgets, Five Year Capital Planning, Festival Planning, BIA Insurance, BIA Tax Rates, Levies and Appeal Provisions, BIA Levy Remittances, G.S.T Inquiries, Toronto Film & Television Office, Tree Pruning, Cast Iron Gas Pipe Replacement, Litter Containers, Street Furniture, Commercial Garbage Collection, Yellow Bag Program COMMERCIAL FAÇADE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM __________________________________ 53 MAKING A DEPUTATION TO A COMMITTEE _______________________________________ 54 USEFUL CONTACTS City Councillors _______________________________________________________ 55-56 Members of Provincial Parliament ___________________________________________ 57-58 Members of Parliament _________________________________________________ 59-60 Police Divisions _______________________________________________________ 61 Parking Enforcement ____________________________________________________ 62-63 MEDIA CONTACTS Newspapers _________________________________________________________ 64 Tips for writing a press release _____________________________________________ 65 CITY OF TORONTO COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP & INVESTMENT PROGRAMS ________________ 66-70 DATES TO REMEMBER _____________________________________________________ 66 TABIA CONTACT INFORMATION _______________________________________________ 70 NOTES _______________________________________________________________ 71-75 WHOSE JOB IS IT? ________________________________________________________ Inside back cover 1 TORONTO FACT SHEET • Set on the north shore of Lake Ontario, Toronto was created on March 6, 1834, when the settlement of York was renamed Toronto, the Mohawk word for “meeting place.” • The British settlement of York was founded as the capital of the new province of Upper Canada by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe in the 1790s and had grown to 10,000 people by the 1830s. Toronto is still the capital of the province, now called Ontario, and is the largest city in Canada, with a population of 2.4 million, 4.7 million in the Greater Toronto Area. • One of the most multicultural cities in the world, Toronto is home to more than 80 ethnic groups and more than 100 languages. It is marked by the diversity of distinct neighbourhoods, cultures and communities TABIA FACT SHEET • As the number of BIAs in Toronto continued to grow, it became apparent that a formalized organization was required to provide an ongoing means of collecting and exchanging essential information and, importantly, addressing issues and concerns • In 1980, a constitution was drawn up and a formal association was established, namely, the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA). • TABIA is a non-profit umbrella organization representing the City of Toronto’s 71 Business Improvement Areas who in turn represent more than 27,000 business and property owners. • The various levels of government recognize that BIAs are the main life-line of the communities. Since the inception of BIAs, the City of Toronto has been supportive, and has championed the BIA movement. A special BIA office was established at City Hall, to administer, assist and support the efforts of the City’s BIAs and TABIA. Interesting Note: The BIA concept may have started in Toronto but it has spread throughout the world. Currently there are more than 240 BIAs in the Province of Ontario and close to 400 BIAs can be found throughout Canada. BIAs can also be found in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and South Africa. Elsewhere they are known by such names as Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Business Improvement Zones (BIZs), Special Improvement Districts, et al. 2 THE BIA STORY In 1970, when business was fading on a west Toronto main street, the business people in the community decided to take action. They formed an association, and used their own money to improve the street and promote the area. Their work helped the street become - and remain - a popular shopping destination. That was the start of Toronto’s first Business Improvement Area, Bloor West Village. The story begins in 1967 when the Bloor-Danforth subway line was completed and many shoppers who formerly traveled along the surface on Bloor Street in streetcars disappeared underground. To add to the problems facing neighbourhood retailers, a proliferation of shopping malls had sprung up on the outskirts of the city around the same time. These merchandising meccas offered enticing shops with a wondrous array of products and services all under the same roof, year-round climate-control and acres of free parking. This led thousands of shoppers to forsake their traditional shopping habits, pile into their cars and motor out to the malls. As a result, some merchants were forced to close their shops and, in some instances, follow the crowds to the malls. Vacancies resulted and many local shopping areas began to look run down and seemed doomed to oblivion. Many business people who remained in their business strips reacted by attempting to form business associations - and spent a great deal of their time and effort going door-to-door soliciting voluntary donations for local improvements and area promotions. One problem they often encountered was that only a few businesses in each block were willing to contribute. These associations frequently found themselves with insufficient funds and support to make any difference. Out of sheer frustration, a group of businessmen in the west end of Toronto, along Bloor Street West, went to City Hall and the Province seeking legislation that would compel all businesses within a designated area to pay a levy for the purpose of revitalizing their business strip through physical improvements and promotional activities. The levy would be collected by the City and turned over to the elected Board of Management to be used as budgeted. After some persuasion, the idea was finally adopted and the Business Improvement Area (BIA) legislation was enacted. It became Section 217 of the Municipal Act and Bloor West Village became the pioneer of the BIA concept when it was designated as the first BIA in 1970! For the first year, the Bloor West Village BIA members voted themselves a budget of $47,500 and the money was spent mostly on physical improvements. The transformation was dramatic. The lighted trees sparkled, there were colourful flower boxes and the benches made shopping inviting. With the continuation of the beautification program and the added area promotions over the years, shoppers began to flock back to Bloor West Village. A used car lot and gasoline stations were redeveloped into retail stores with residential and office units above. A medical complex was built on the site of an abandoned streetcar turn- around at Bloor and Jane. A number of other building developments and restorations followed, making Bloor West Village a vibrant and safe environment to live, work, shop and raise a family. The success of Bloor West Village encouraged other communities. Toronto now has 71 BIAs encompassing well over 27,000 businesses & property owners. In 2010 the BIA Community will celebrate 40 years of BIAs 3 THE PURPOSE OF TABIA The Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) is a non-profit umbrella organization representing the City of Toronto’s 71 Business Improvement Areas who in turn represent more than 27,000 businesses & property owners. OBJECTIVES OF TABIA • To promote strong, effective and successful BIAs in the City of Toronto. • To encourage joint initiatives and collaboration