Downtown business improvement area associations (BIA's) of Atlantic Canada, with representatives from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island, met recently in Moncton, NB, to sign a memorandum of understanding outlining the benefits of downtowns’ contribution to individual communities and to the provinces Atlantic Canada. The new organization, Downtowns Atlantic Canada (DAC), is a new alliance that will work to improve the positioning of downtown business improvement areas as unique, diverse, vibrant and economically healthy urban cores.

DAC’s mission is to be the collective voice of the downtown business improvement areas of Atlantic Canada. The association will strive to increase partnerships with provincial and municipal governments as well as with the federal government to achieve its goals of growth and investment in our urban cores. It will also bring the challenges of urban economic development to the attention to decision-makers, who are able to facilitate actions that will result in prosperous and vibrant business improvement areas.

DAC is committed to working towards prosperity for Atlantic downtowns, which is the purest form of economic development, in a self-help approach to revitalizing business improvement areas. There are a number of benefits to the development of DAC that include, but are not limited to, the following opportunities: to increase funding partnerships and policy development with all levels of government and to provide a stronger voice for downtown revitalization.

The benefits of this cooperative effort will come from the promotion of an urban strategy which will identify such challenges as brought on by an aging population, environmental impacts relating to growth, business retention, urban sprawl, residential and urban planning, economic development, tourism and heritage and culture. The partnerships will also address challenges around social issues such as housing, homelessness, urban poverty, addiction and crime.

Downtowns are the “heart and soul” of the community and are significant generators of wealth and employment.

Signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding:

Paul MacKinnon - Downtown Halifax Business Commission
Bernard Smith - Spring Garden Area Business Association
Tim Olive - Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission
Karla Nicholson - Quinpool Road Mainstreet District Association Limited
William Mills - Main Street Dartmouth and Area BID
Deborah J.H. Elliott - Downtown Truro Partnership
Daniel Allain - Downtown Moncton Centre-ville Inc.
Bruce McCormack - Downtown Fredericton Inc.
Trina MacDonald - Business Fredericton North Inc.
Peter Asimakos - Uptown Saint John Inc.
Dawn Alan - Downtown Charlottetown Inc.
Ron Casey - Downtown Summerside Inc.
Scott Cluney - St. John’s Downtown Development Commission