Main Street Advantage:
Building Rural Competitiveness
Strengthening rural Main Streets across Ontario.
For more information or to get involved in this project, please contact Mason Ainsworth, Project Manager, at [email protected]
Ontario Invests in Rural Main Streets
We are pleased to share that, with the support of the Ontario Ministry of Rural Affairs, OBIAA has been awarded $79,583 in funding through the Rural Ontario Development (ROD) Program to launch Main Street Advantage: Building Rural Competitiveness – a province-wide initiative designed to strengthen rural Main Streets across Ontario.
The announcement was made at the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre in Southampton, Ontario, with the Honourable Lisa Thompson, Minister of Rural Affairs, and Mayor Luke Charbonneau of Saugeen Shores and Warden of Bruce County in attendance.
This project was inspired by you – the extraordinary work, innovation, and award-winning initiatives you implement on Main Streets across the province every day. We consistently see creative placemaking, impactful business attraction strategies, and community-driven revitalization efforts led by BIAs.
Main Street Advantage is our opportunity to gather those best practices, proven models, and success stories into a practical, data-driven package that supports replication, awareness, and long-term rural competitiveness.
Through this initiative, OBIAA will provide rural BIAs and municipalities with:
Access to customized economic impact analysis, pitch sheets and marketing tools
A comprehensive Main Street Revitalization toolkit
Targeted training sessions to help attract investment, support local businesses, and demonstrate measurable results
We extend our sincere thanks to the Ministry of Rural Affairs for recognizing the critical role rural BIAs play in economic development and for investing in tools that will build long-term capacity, resilience, and competitiveness across Ontario’s rural downtowns.
Special Member Offer: Reduced-Fee Access to CUI Economic Data
As part of Main Street Advantage, OBIAA has partnered with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) to make high-quality local economic data accessible to our members at a significantly reduced cost.
We know that data is one of the most powerful tools a BIA can have – and one of the hardest to access affordably. CUI’s data platform provides the kind of local economic intelligence that helps BIAs tell their story, attract investment in their areas, and make better strategic decisions.
Through our partnership with CUI, and the ROD Funding OBIAA members can access the following resources at reduced rates – making it practical for BIAs of all sizes, including those with limited budgets:
A public-facing two-page Community Pitch Sheet designed for business attraction, investment outreach, and stakeholder engagement.
Recommendation Report – an analysis of visitation, demographic and behavioural data for your area
A limited number of discounted packages (25 total) will be available, with priority given to BIAs and communities with smaller operating budgets.
These packages would usually cost $7,500 but for 25 OBIAA members who sign up before August 31, we can offer them for $2,000, as OBIAA has negotiated a significant discount and the ROD funding will cover a portion of the cost.
The Business of Accessibility Handbook
The Business of Accessibility Handbook: How to Make Your Main Street Business Accessibility Smart offers no cost and low-cost ideas, gathered from people with first-hand experience, to inspire businesses to go beyond the minimum requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA).
The handbook includes:
- Low cost and no cost tips on how businesses can be more accessible in such areas as lighting, signage, websites, space layout, and more
- The business case for accessibility and Ontario’s changing demographics
- A Built Environment Accessibility Checklist
- Stories of Ontario businesses
- Frequently asked questions
- Built environment accessibility resources