What is a Business Improvement Association (BIA)?

A Business Improvement Area (BIA) is a “made-in-Ontario” innovation that allows local business people and commercial property owners and tenants to join together and, with the support of the municipality, to organize, finance, and carry out physical improvements and promote economic development in their district.

Business and property owners or others can request that a BIA be designated by a municipal bylaw. BIA’s are local entities. The legislation states they are local boards. People also refer to the geographic area designated by a municipality for a BIA as the BIA.

How Does it Work?

A BIA is run by a volunteer Board of Management elected from its members. The Board is nominated at an Annual General Meeting and, once approved by City Council, serves a four-year term concurrent with the term of Council.

The Board, as well as BIA specific employees hired by the board, work on behalf of its BIA and meets regularly to develop budgets, set priorities, implement capital improvements, plan festivals, and promote its business area. *

Once BIA members approve the budget and City Council ratifies it, funds are raised through a levy on all commercial and industrial properties within the BIA’s boundary (refer to picture above). Calculation of this levy is based on the proportionate value of each property’s commercial and/or industrial assessment. Once the City collects the levy, it returns the funds to the BIA to manage.*

*Text pulled from Toronto BIA