Another Centretown BIA has decided not to join the proposed Greater Ottawa Business Improvement Area, saying they don’t see the benefit of a city-wide group of competing business that will make it difficult to agree on priorities.
Shirley Fang, executive assistant of the Somerset Street Chinatown BIA, says even though her business group has been informed about GOBIA, no one has attended a meeting.
“There have been lots of internal Chinatown BIA jobs that have occupied a lot of our time,” she says, pointing to the Somerset Street construction, the Chinese New Year and the development of the BIA’s new website. “The economic environment is not very good so helping our members in Chinatown has been our first priority and responsibility.”
Mayor Jim Watson and economic development officials met with BIA representatives in October, hoping to start the city-wide BIA to improve collective communication with city hall.
But since then, the majority of business groups are on the fence about officially joining the union.
Erin Kelly, director of the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, says BIAs that drop out of GOBIA aren’t protecting their own interests. Rather, the choice not to participate puts the groups in a position where city hall won’t deal with them at all, she says.
“The city isn’t going to meet with all 17 BIAs individually,” she says. “It’s easy to say I only care about my street but there are a lot of special interest groups and the more specialized and smaller they are, the harder it is to be heard.”
Fang says her BIA will most likely continue to throw GOBIA to the wayside in order to focus on individual concerns.
“GOBIA just hasn’t been a priority,” she says. “I don’t see that changing because I don’t really see how it would help us.”
The Chinatown BIA joins the Preston Street BIA among Centretown-based BIAs, in rejecting membership in GOBIA.
As reported in the last issue of Centretown News, the Preston Street board decided in January not to take part in the project after learning it would have to get input from all GOBIA business groups and voice all concerns through the organization.
Fang recognizes competition between business groups as they try to attract people to their areas. This conflict may lead to disagreements over union policies and the unfair treatment of some BIAs, particularly the smaller ones with a “little voice,” she says.
Kelly says although it may be hard for business groups to collaborate, they need to recognize the value of coming together. Agreeing on widespread priorities will lead to much more sway at city hall, she says.
“It’s more time, it’s more effort, but it’s also more effective,” she says. “They have to do the tough stuff in order to be heard.”
Jocelyne Turner, a spokesperson for the City of Ottawa, says the city isn’t involved in the development of GOBIA.
Even though the city initiated the process, the official establishment of GOBIA is in the hands of the individual BIAs, she says.
Executive directors from the Bank Street Promenade, Somerset Village, and Sparks Street BIAs were unavailable for comment, according to spokespeople from the business groups.
According to an informal survey of the other 12 business groups located outside of Centretown, Bells Corner and Wellington West support the initiative, Carp Road Corridor has chosen not to engage, four were undecided, and five were unavailable for comment.
Christine Leadman, executive director of the Glebe BIA, says 10 of 17 BIA executive members attended the GOBIA meeting in January and only about four BIAs are definitely “on board” with the initiative.
There is still no set date for the union’s formation. Meanwhile, the remaining members have discussed and drafted a constitution and agreed upon committees and an executive board.
Leadman says even though there has been some progress at recent GOBIA meetings, the formation is far from complete.
“At present, I don’t think a lot of the boards have been convinced they see the benefit.”