TABIA - Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas

Excerpted from a letter to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and the Minister of Finance

    I purchased this property in April of 2007 for $535k. A few months later I was informed by MPAC that it's new value was $748k - an increase of 47% in 7 months at the height of the recession and at a time when the road I was on was under construction (this lasted three years and the frequent shutdowns of part or all of the street and sometimes even the sidewalks forced me to lay off all of my staff - 15 businesses on the street closed during this period). You can imagine my amusement when customers asked if businesses were being compensated for the loss of traffic during the construction - I told them only if you consider a 50% tax increase "compensation".

Emery Village BIA would like to invite you to participate in ' Free Seminars to Improve the Health of your Business'

To view flyer

By CHARMAINE NORONHA
The Associated Press:The Kansas City Star

Toronto's Harbourfront Centre hosts thousands of events each year, many of them free. And the York Quay Center and the Power Plant have changing arts and photo exhibits year-round for no entry fee.

If you’re visiting Toronto, you can’t help but notice construction cranes, new condos and other signs of gentrification, like restaurants and bars popping up in new hipster ’hoods. But despite the upscale crawl, many of the city’s best attractions are tried and true mainstays that can be experienced for free.

With brightly coloured fall mums freshly planted in the Elm Grove Garden, residents and business owners gathered around the Parkdale street garden to celebrate its rejuvenation.

Last month, during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), an international spotlight shone on the Toronto Entertainment District. The focus on TIFF's September red carpets has now shifted to the equally sensational October catwalks of World MasterCard Fashion Week. A week of fashion, retail and dining promotions will sashay directly from the heart of the Toronto Entertainment District at David Pecaut Square, beginning on October 22 and running through to October 26, 2012.

All are invited to come out and explore the best Etobicoke has to offer, with great food to sample, merchants to visit, and lots of activities for everyone in the family along Lake Shore Boulevard West from First to Tenth Street.

The Queensway BIA is now a reality.

Last week, Toronto City Council passed a bylaw to enact the new BIA that was 30 years in the making.

City-released official poll results earlier this month indicated 65 per cent of Queensway business owners recently voted in favour of forming a Business Improvement Area on a two-kilometre stretch of The Queensway from Royal York Road to Kipling Avenue.

Was It All Just a Cruel Hoax?

The business education tax (BET), a heavy property tax which all of us are paying either directly or indirectly, was imposed at different rates in different municipalities.Prior to 2007, it was a far heavier tax in Toronto than in the surrounding municipalities.It was making it more difficult for Toronto businesses to compete against businesses in Mississauga, Pickering, Markham etc, where the rates were much lower.

The ChemTRAC Program is an annual environmental reporting program requiring Toronto businesses to report their use and release of 25 priority chemical compounds if they meet certain thresholds. The rationale is to encourage reporting from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)that do not currently satisfy federal or provincial reporting thresholds. A facility must report any amount equal to or above the threshold level for the chemicals as set out in the bylaw.

The Commercial Facade Improvement Program 2012 is available for use by businesses in BIAs that are eligible for the Program. Please distribute the flyer to your BIA members or make it available in BIA offices. 

Toronto, ON. (January 2012) – Looking to sample Toronto’s best Italian, French, International Fusion, Steakhouse and Modern Comfort Food cuisine during Winterlicious? From January 27^th - February 9^th, Bloor-Yorkville will be the Winterlicious neighbourhood to visit! Recognised as home to many of Toronto’s most celebrated restaurants, food aficionados should look to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Winterlicious’ prix-fixe culinary event in Bloor-Yorkville!

The district rang in its new BIA with a splash earlier this month. At its inaugural meeting, members passed a $950,000 operating budget, far larger than the operating budgets for most of the city's 70-plus BIAs.

The talk, titled Power Your Business and Community with Solar, is being given by Robert Wakulat, the program manager of greenTbiz, a program of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA).

The artwork was commissioned by the Baby Point Gates Business Improvement Area (BIA) and created by artist Walter Ruston, whose work can also be seen in Roncesvalles Village as well.

Interested Canadian Companies Encouraged to Apply for the Show

On Monday October 31st, the LVBIA launched the BikeHere! Liberty Village program consisting of twelve artistically designed bike racks and three clusters of secure bike lockers, all in support of cycling in Liberty Village and Toronto!

The umbrella organization representing the city's BIAs has honoured the Riverside District Business Improvement Area's (BIA) Take a Walk on the Riverside event for its creativity.

The Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) hosted its inaugural recognition event on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at the St. Lawrence Hall.

A total of 39 business improvement areas across Toronto were honoured in a range of categories including outstanding capital streetscape improvement, decorative lighting, community improvement, creative solutions, membership engagement, perseverance and social conscience, and decorative lighting to name a few.

Since its inception three decades ago, TABIA has shared stories about the many successes BIAs have experienced, however, it wasn't until this year that it decided to recognize their efforts.

BIAs across the city were recognized in 20 different categories ranging from environmental and decorative lighting to advocacy and communications.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Shedding Light on Green Power - Solar and Conservation Fair Engages the Etobicoke Lakeshore Community around Renewable Energy and Conservation.

Toronto, ON- August 15, 2011 -
On Saturday September 10, 2011, the 2nd Annual Solar and Conservation Fair hosted by local Lakeshore Business Improvement Areas and organized by TABIA’s greenTbiz program will take place at the Assembly Hall in South Etobicoke from 11 am to 4 pm. This one-day community event will feature exhibitors, vendors and speakers on topics related to renewable energy, conservation and environmental sustainability. The event is open to residents and businesses. Admission is free.

The Producers of Dragons’ Den are on the Hunt for Interested Canadian Companies

July 19, 2011 – CBC announced today that the producers of Canada’s top-rated entertainment program, Dragons’ Den, are looking for struggling Canadian companies to participate in an exciting new business show. In this new series, some of the country’s top investors will spend their time and money to help these Canadian companies get back on their feet.

This new series will offer business owners a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: the chance to meet a top-notch investor who could provide the boost that their companies need to survive – AND thrive. The experts are willing to fan out across the country, roll up their sleeves and help change the fortunes of good companies that have fallen on hard times.

Tagging on storefronts is the biggest challenge

The City of Toronto may have ramped up its war on graffiti, but the Bloor by the Park Business Improvement Area (BIA) has been fighting local tagging for years.

The stretch of homes and shops on Bloor Street West between Keele Street and Dundas Street West has a long-standing history with graffiti.

While he didn't actually live in the downtown east neighbourhood until recently, it's a place where he's spent his whole life.

Deputy mayor Doug Holyday predicts the Ford administration won’t flinch from changing paid-duty rules to save the city millions of dollars, even if the cash comes out of police officers’ pockets.

“Two million dollars is an awful lot of money — if we’re going to find money for the next (budget), it’s going to be in amounts like that, a lot of them,” Holyday said in an interview Friday.

The face of business in Toronto is always changing and for the time being, it is the face of veteran Scarborough Centre Councillor Michael Thompson leading the way.