ByWard Market Annual 2017 Report Introduction: Administration & Financial ByWard Market BIA Mandate To support and promote the health and vitality of the ByWard Market as a unique business district and meeting place for residents as well as visitors. The ByWard Market is characterized by a wide variety of owner-operated businesses and a farmers’ market that make the Market rich in heritage, activity and animation. Financial Breakdown Revenues & Expenses Property Taxes vs Levies Commercial properties in the ByWard Market BIA pay millions of dollars in property taxes annually to the City of Ottawa. Property taxes DO NOT fund the BIA. 100% of property taxes go directly to the City of Ottawa paying for many City services such as: emergency services (police, fire, ambulance), road maintenance, snow removal, water service and sewers, City parks, and facilities etc… In contrast, the BIA is primarily funded through the BIA levy collected from commercial property owners. It is very important to note that the ByWard Market BIA has one of the lowest levies of all of Ottawa’s urban BIAs. This commitment to keep the levy cost minimal for business members means BIA staff need to find alternative sources of revenue to supplement the overall budget. These include sponsorships, grants, sales, and partnerships. In 2017, the ByWard Market BIA supplemented 35% of the overall operating budget through other sources of revenue (sponsorships, sales, and grants). The Board has always been committed to responsible fiscal management. Even though we are one of the busiest BIAs in the City, the ByWard Market BIA levy remains one of the lowest in the downtown core. BIA staff work extremely hard all year to supplement revenues through advertising sales, sponsorships, grants, and third-party revenues. In 2017, 35% of the overall budget was supplemented through these additional revenue streams. Revenues Percentage Expenditures Percentage 4 34 62 65 Administration Marketing incl. events, advertising, beautification Supplement Levy Memberships & Meetings (AGM) Financial Practices & Annual Audit All financial transactions of the BIA are approved by the Treasurer, monitored by City financial officers, and reviewed annually by independent auditors appointed by the City. 2 ByWard Market BIA Annual Report 2017 Administrative There are significant Administrative duties associated with the BIA. Over and above financial requirements, there are internal committees that the BIA is responsible for (Board of Directors, Safety and Security, Marketing, Parking and Transportation) and external committees that the BIA participates and holds seats on (Ottawa Tourism, Ottawa Council of BIA’s, City of Ottawa Needle Distribution and Retrieval). Marketing Committee The Marketing Committee meets once per month, all 12 months of the year, the 2nd Wednesday of the month. Additional meetings occur ad-hoc as per required (ie in preparation for an event). Marketing Committee is a working committee and is open to all BIA members. Members are encouraged to attend and help steer initiatives and direction. Parking & Transportation Committee These meetings occur Ad-Hoc as required (ie City Parking and/or Transportation Studies, Tour Bus Parking, Traffic movements). Safety & Security Committee The Safety and Security Committee meets once per month, all 12 months of the year, the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 1:00 pm. The meetings are co-chaired by a BIA Board Member and a local resident. This Committee represents the full spectrum of stakeholders in the area and is a monthly dialogue between everyone providing opportunities to review and strategically address the various safety and security issues present in the ByWard Market. Police, Social Service Providers, AGCO, US Embassy, Crime Prevention Ottawa are just an example of Committee attendees. Outside Committees Ottawa Tourism Jasna Jennings is a board member of Ottawa Tourism, and serves as Chair of Ottawa Tourism’s Membership Committee (responsible for member benefits, Ottawa Tourism Awards, and Stars of the City Awards) OCOBIA ~ Ottawa Council of BIAs The Ottawa Council of BIAs is comprised of all of Ottawa’s BIAs, who meet regularly throughout the year in addition to quarterly meetings with the Mayor. Topics include items of relevance to all BIAs as well as ad-hoc committees such as downtown-specific items. In 2017 (and 2018), BIA Board Co-Chair Stephen Monuk serves as Past Chair. Needle Distribution and Retrieval Consultative Group Jasna Jennings is a Board Member of the NDRCG. The mandate of the Needle Distribution & Retrieval Consultative Group (NDRCG) is to represent their respective communities by providing advice and guidance on issues related to the development and the delivery of health and social services by Ottawa Public Health’s Site Needle & Syringe Program (SNSP) and the retrieval of disposed/discarded needles by the Needle Retrieval and Disposal Program*. The NDRCG will bring forth the needs and concerns of the community and service users. Members meet bi-monthly. Lowertown Community Association Jasna Jennings attends meetings with the Lowertown Community Association as needed throughout the year to bridge the relationship between residents and businesses, as well as to promote ByWard Market activities and programs. Items of particular concern are safety, heritage, and planning. The LCA meets the 2nd Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Routhier Community Centre. All BIA members are invited to join. 3 ByWard Market BIA Annual Report 2017 Safety and Security The Safety and security of all visitors to the ByWard Market is of utmost importance to the Board and staff. In 2017, the biggest challenge was the change in deployment model by Ottawa Police. They abandoned their previous model and the result was the loss of the Neighbourhood Unit, (staffed by officers earmarked for the specific area and highly visible through Foot Patrol, Bicycle and Demonstration Unit, these officers did not patrol City wide). Police no longer pro-actively address issues, and the presence is made up of a revolving door of officers many of whom are not familiar with the area or the players. This proved extremely challenging this year for Ambassadors and BIA staff as demonstrated in the statistics below. Where 2006 has been used as the benchmark year for negative contacts, 2017 has far surpassed the 2006 in negative issues on the street. In 2018 the BIA will continue to prioritize safety in its workplan. ByWard Market Street AmbasAmbassadorsador Program 2017 Marked the 14 th year of the ByWard Market Street Ambassador program. Ambassadors help tourists find their way, monitor the streets, and respond to situations as required including providing first aid treatment and on-street interventions. Ambassadors learn about the area and BIA members/businesses and are trained in: first-aid, passive intervention methods and police protocols. The Ambassador program is made possible through support from the Ottawa Police Services Board, the City of Ottawa’s Markets Management, and Le Casino de Lac Lemy. Ambassador Stats Behaviour Benchmar Summer Summer k Year ‘16 ‘17 The ByWard Market Street Ambassadors track safety statistics and 2006 report them monthly to the BIA. 2017 shows a drastic spike in Aggressive 352 151 947 negative behaviours. Of note, there was an influx of visitors due to Panhandling OTTAWA 2017 celebrations along with the implementation of Drug Use 187 14 106 additional stats tracking, however Ambassadors also noted serious Alcohol 146 23 373 challenges with the new police model and the arrival of the pop-up Consumption supervised injection site in Raphael Brunet Park Inappropriate 185 33 413 Loitering Disruptive 102 21 78 Behaviour TOTAL 972 242 1975 NEGATIVE BEHAVIOUR Total Negative Behaviours 2500 1975 2000 1500 972 1000 500 242 0 Total Negative Behaviours 2006 2016 2017 4 ByWard Market BIA Annual Report 2017 Marketing Committee ByWard Market Buzz - CTV Mornig Live Marketing Mandate Red Bull Crashed Ice Stew Cook Off To promote the ByWard Market as Ottawa’s premier destination for shopping, dining, arts, Inspiration Village entertainment, and professional services for residents and visitors through clearly-defined ByWard Beats JUNOfest communications and marketing strategies which have specific criteria for a target audience. These Server Games are evaluated for effectiveness on an ongoing basis. La Machine Snow'Art The Marketing Committee is a working committee, where members participate in a functional way Canadian Tulip Festival when away from the table. Creative doers are encouraged to join. ByWard Market Brochure Festival St. Jean Marketing Chair Board Member Facebook & Instagram ads Northdal Endless Lee Wagner, Meaghan Brunetti, Summer Easter Weekend Steak & Sushi Norde Bridal Events ByWard BARKet Northdal Mural Thanks to 2017 Committee Attendees & Participants Sausagefest 3rd Party & ByWard Bundle ByWard & Party 3rd York Street Art Cubes Brigid Alain, Mystery Motel Inaas Kiryakos, Milk Northdal Holiday Shopping Night Tyler Aldercott, SmoQue Shack Deek Labelle, Chateau Lafayette York Street Sugar Forest Telus Kristen Bradley, Heart & Crown Jeremy Rosenberg, York Street Spa Murray Street Chalk Art Denise Brault, Courtyard Marriott Steward Sarchfield, Trustfund & NHL Hockey Pucks Sunday Stories Roadtrip George Street Plaza Aaron Dahl, Not Your Father’s Barber Unveiling Steve Wilson, Mystery Motel BrickmanGraeme Jenny Dao, York Street Entertainment OTTAWA Letters Tick Tock Tom Goals The Roll Down Doors • To keep the ByWard Market top of