DCHP-2

Business Improvement Area business improvement area, BIA DCHP-2 (October 2016)

• n. — Economy

  a municipal area receiving support through additional taxation for social and economical development.

  Type: 1. Origin — The first known Business Improvement Area (BIA) was initiated in the Toronto community of Bloor Street West in 1969 to counter the area's declining commercial and aesthetic appeal (see BIA-BC reference). The implementation of a BIA results in a mandatory levy to support the area's community improvement program. This special levy is paid by members of a BIA alongside their property taxes (see Ontario-MAH reference). The geographical "area" being served ranges from entire towns to industrial parks, consequently varying in size, aim and budget. According to the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, BIAs are a Canadian concept (see Ontario-MAH reference, see the 2014 quotation) that is now used in other nations, such as the US and Australia, under different names.
  The term is most frequent in Canada (see Chart 1) and most common in Ontario (see Chart 2).

  See also: Business Improvement Association