Business Improvement Areas: COVID-19 Economic Mitigation and Recovery of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in Ontario

Abstract

The role of Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) in the early mitigation of the economic impacts of COVID-19 on small and medium-sized businesses in Ontario was studied. As this is a new area of research, several methodologies including analyzing data collected from March to June of 2020 from surveys and case studies were incorporated. It was found that BIAs adapted significantly--as of April, approximately 80% of BIAs surveyed confirmed that their priorities had changed due to COVID-19 (OBIAA, 2-3)--in order to support their Member businesses and property owners during this unprecedented economic crisis. The data showed that the strong role of BIAs in service delivery to small and medium-sized businesses during COVID-19 included an initial focus on enhanced communications, business support, advocacy, marketing placemaking, and safety and security measures that were specific to the quickly changing crisis. Many of these BIA's first response service deliveries have continued, expanded, and evolved into support strategies for reopening and recovery in the still-developing economic impacts of COVID-19.

The research demonstrated that BIAs are particularly well-positioned as established hubs to partner with Member businesses and corporate, government, professional, and private sectors. This allowed BIAs to pivot quickly within the context of the dynamics of their area to provide support to small and medium-sized businesses immediately at the onset of the outbreak of the pandemic. Included in this article are several implementable community actions for the joint success of BIAs and their key partners to build innovations, collaborations, skills, and resource developments that will support the economic survival and recovery of local businesses--the backbone of our local, provincial, and national economies.