SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The city is considering creating a business improvement district (BID) in downtown Yellowknife as a way of giving the business community a meaningful voice in how the area is revitalized.

Adrian Bell stands on the corner of 50 Street and Franklin Avenue on Oct. 11. Bell is calling on the city to help downtown businesses set up a business improvement district. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo

Coun. Adrian Bell, who first argued in favour of creating the district last December, said BIDs are essentially independent lobbying groups that advocate on behalf of businesses within a certain designated boundary, such as the downtown core.

"This is filling a gap because when decisions are made, they never really weigh in," said Bell.

According to Bell, BIDs are a proven model that have been successful in revitalizing downtown areas throughout Canada and North America.

"If you think of any cute little downtown or retail area that you've seen anywhere in Canada, chances are if you look hard enough, you'll find a sign somewhere that says, 'if you have concerns about this area, get a hold of such and such association,'" said Bell.

With the creation of BIDs, every business within the designated area becomes a member of the association. In exchange for their membership, they are required to pay an annual fee, which is subsequently reinvested in the area.

"Whether it's a fee or a tax, it's a democratic system. You have to contribute to have your say," said Bell.

While the city already has a Smart Growth Implementation Committee, Bell said the creation of a BID would allow for every business to influence how money is spent within a designated boundary.

"They affect change in a number of ways, but most importantly, they allow their members to speak with one voice," said Bell.

The issue was raised during the Oct. 7 committee meeting, a week after the city made a presentation to the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce on the issue.

For the most part, city councillors expressed their support for BIDs. However, there was disagreement over the extent to which the city should be responsible for spearheading the initiative.

"It's in the hands of the Chamber of Commerce at the moment," said Coun. Bob Brooks."If there's an interest, let's pursue it. Otherwise, we don't have a role to play."

"It doesn't happen very often, but I agree wholeheartedly with Councillor Brooks on this one," added Coun. Niels Konge, much to the surprise of Mayor Mark Heyck and the rest of council.

Bell said he has spoken with over 30 downtown businesses, at least eight of which said they would like to play a role in the creation of an association. He even suggested the city consider flying up a BID specialist from another community to educate the city on their potential benefits.

"If we see this as one of the 15 things that can help the downtown core, we have to take this seriously," said Bell.

Bell said it was too early to know what the fees for joining a BID would be if one were set up in Yellowknife. He said there are several models commonly used to calculate fees for BIDS, all of which are proportionality weighted depending on the size of the business.

"The thing to hammer home here is it's not the city that's going to decide how much these things cost - it's the businesses themselves. They decide what they want, what collective services they want and what they pool together," he said.

As a point of comparison, Bell pointed out that the city of Caledon, which has a population of 60,000, has a BID with a budget of $100,000. Meanwhile, Hamilton, which has a population of more than 500,000, has a BID with an annual budget of $21,000.

"It's entirely up to the business community what this thing costs. It could cost zero and it could go nowhere," said Bell.

BIDs could be implemented in other business districts through the city as well, such as Kam Lake, said Bell.

"It's a model that can be used in a variety of areas," said Bell.

"If you look at a town like Edmonton, I think they've got between eight and 11 BIDs, and they only have one downtown."

The Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

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