2022 Provincial Election Toolkit – Main Street Means Business
Previous to the recent Ontario election on June 2, 2022, OBIAA identified a set of issues that affect main streets across Ontario’s 444 municipalities. OBIAA is the only voice that speaks directly to and about our main streets.
Although the election is now over, the issues remain real and urgent, and OBIAA has developed a guide and framework to help BIAs and other stakeholders speak to the issues and advocate in their own municipalities and to their MPPs. It is time for BIAs to work together on shared issues and opportunities for collective main street impact.
BIA roles, responsibilities, mandates, initiatives, and main streets are not “one-size-fits-all” and have changed drastically over the years. This is particularly so as a result of the pandemic, which added increased responsibility and also changed with the pandemic adding an increased responsibility and changing the model of both BIAs and main streets.
- Writing letters/submissions to government
- Leveraging social media to amplify our voices
- Sharing assets with ministries, political platforms, municipalities, regions, and BIAs
- Meeting with politicians and key civil servants to advocate for main streets
- Working with partners such as Ontario’s Big City Mayors to accelerate change
OBIAA encourages BIAs to engage in advocacy work, share the impact you are having with OBIAA, and talk about the issues your BIA and main streets are facing.
Ways BIAs can get involved in advocacy:
- Learn advocacy policies for BIAs as local boards under Ontario Acts
- Engage the communities you work for and with in advocacy
- Share and amplify the advocacy work of OBIAA in Ontario to your networks