What’s a BIA?
You may know us as “downtown,” or The Village or “the best place to grab a bite in the city,” but do you know what a BIA is?
Not to worry! The work of a BIA might seem mysterious, so let’s clear things up. A Business Improvement Area’s (BIA) job is to advocate for small businesses located within their boundaries, promote local shopping, host events and activations, and beautify their neighbourhood.
Think of it like creating a community *inside* a community. (Pretty meta, huh?) You may not always *see* the work we do, but if you’ve ever taken a walk through your neighbourhood and thought, “I love this place.” …then we’ve done our job.
Don’t Call Us Old. We’re Seasoned.
Hamilton’s oldest Business Improvement Area (BIA)? Oh, ya. That’s us! The International Village was the first BIA formed in Hamilton in 1976. Same birth year as Ryan Reynolds so…we’re in pretty good company.
The Village was a Hamilton first. Today, we’re one of 11 Hamilton BIAs working to make our city the best place to live, work, play, eat, drink, shop, and anything else we dream up.
Don’t let our history fool you into thinking we’re stuck in the past. We’re always thinking of new ways to solve the problems our member businesses face every day.
Protecting local business? Looks like a job for…a BIA!
Every superhero has an origin story. From the start, BIAs have always fought for their members in the face of threats.
The first BIA ever was the Bloor York Village Business Improvement Area (BIA) in 1970. It was a response to the new challenges Main Street businesses faced as shopping malls began to pop up in the late 1960s. Its job was to revitalize downtown businesses through beautification efforts, promotional activities, and advocacy.
Today, the BIA model has stuck and now exists all over the world.
You’re Looking at a Hamilton First.
Ready to do some BIA math? Let’s break it down.
- 500 BIAs across Canada
- 300 BIAs in Ontario
- 11 BIAs in Hamilton
- 1 International Village BIA (a Hamilton first!)
Every single BIA is dedicated to making their downtown business community a vibrant place to make a living. And locals, your support for small businesses can help make someone’s day too!
What Does BIA Stand For?
No, it’s not Business Is Awesome. (Come to think of it…that’s not bad. Too late for a rebrand?) And it’s not pronounced like “BEE-AH.”
The BIA? That acronym stands for Business Improvement Area. But we BIA folks like to drop the “The.” Just “BIA.” It’s cleaner.
We exist so local businesses don’t just get by. They thrive with a little help from their friends at the BIA.
BIAs are Created for Locals, by Locals.
Our member businesses are more than business owners to us. They’re our neighbours and the reason why we come to work every day.
BIA staff are hired by volunteer Board members who have been elected by the members of the BIA they serve. Those Board members are also approved by City Council.
The Village is a Hamilton first made for local businesses, by champions for local business.
What Makes a Business a BIA Business?
There’s no secret handshake. (But maybe there should be…?) Businesses, did you know your property tax bill includes a levy that’s paid to your BIA Board of Management? The levy is calculated based on the assessed value of your building.
So how does a business become a BIA member?
While we’d love to welcome every business into our club, you can only become a member of our BIA if your business or building falls within our BIA’s boundaries. In our case, that means West Avenue to Mary Street including Main Street East, King Street East, and King William Street in Downtown Hamilton.
The Village has grown organically based on whoever wants to open up a business here. Will we see *you* moving in next?
140 Businesses. 1 BIA..
Every day, we’re the cornerstone of the small business community. So how do we do it? Well, we…
- Beautify our streets.
- Promote local shopping, dining, and services.
- Advocate for small businesses.
- Activate engagement with community-based events.
Because our business community is made up of people from different backgrounds, abilities, and identities, The Village is a little bit of everything. And figuring out how we can best support all of those people means our job is never done.
But hey. We don’t mind. It’s all in a day’s work for a BIA.
Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) in Hamilton
Hamilton is home to 11 Business Improvement Areas which represent 1,887 commercial businesses bringing over 25,000 jobs to the region.
BIAs improve the look, feel, and financial success of an area by undertaking beautification efforts with the goal of helping to attract shoppers, diners and investors to the area. BIAs work collaboratively to advocate for their membership and promote shopping local with the region by using #SpendItHere. Discover each of Hamilton’s 11 BIAs to learn more about their unique assets, and efforts in the community.
Quick Facts about Business Improvement Areas in Hamilton:
- Number of Commercial Businesses: 1,887
- Total Value of the Commercial Properties: $722 million
- Total Commercial Square Footage: Over 4 million
- Total Number of Jobs: Over 25,000
