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Upgrading historic buildings, developing parks and plazas and mobility, such as cycling and ride-sharing, can keep main streets vibrant and healthy.Getty Images
In the wake of the pandemic, small businesses along Canada’s high streets are still reporting lower-than-normal revenue and business owner confidence is falling, studies from the Canadian Urban Institute find.
But more public investment in infrastructure, incentives and changes in regulations can be effective in fostering growth and prosperity, experts said at a CityTalk webinar in March organized by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI), a non-profit organization focused on urban issues. . .
“Main streets may not all look the same, but they are the connective tissue of every city in Canada. They provide more than just commercial activity and services; they create social cohesion and access to collective experiences and culture,” said Mary W. Rowe, president and chief executive officer of CUI, which has been tracking trends in collaboration with business improvement organizations across Canada through a program called Bring Back Main Street.
“The high street was challenged by the shift to digital buying which accelerated during the pandemic. But at the same time, we have seen a renewed recognition that public investments to keep high streets vibrant and healthy can create benefits for the whole city,” he adds.
There were more than 1,400 applications for the second round of My Main Street, a program to help revitalize businesses in Southern Ontario, said its managing director, Lindsay Webster. The $15 million program is funded by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. It includes non-repayable loans for small business improvements and grants to non-profit community organizations to create infrastructure and events that attract people to high streets.
Success stories from the program’s first $23.25 million round in 2021 include a patio program that tripled the return on investment for Downtown Kitchener businesses and a store in Brampton that used its $10,000 grant for a redesign that nearly doubled its space and increased sales .
The main streets may not all look the same, but they are the connective tissue of every Canadian city.
– Mary W. Rowe, president and chief executive officer, CUI
“It’s imperative to address the needs of commerce and people, and the diversity of needs is a challenge,” said Omer Ismail, economic development officer for the City of Toronto, whose Toronto Main Street Restoration and Reconstruction Initiative is also funded through the Federal. Southern Ontario Economic Development Agency. It includes six programs to assist small businesses that range from matching funds for improvements and expansion of cafe spaces on city-owned properties to grants for mitigating the impact of transit construction on commercial streets.
“Cities need to look at the high street as the golden goose and if you keep feeding it, it will keep producing golden eggs,” said Janette MacDonald, CEO and founder of Shift Your Spend in London, Ont., which encourages consumers to spend their dollars in their own community. “Cities cannot stop investing in their main streets, which have the highest tax mill rates in the city. Keeping it prosperous makes the city prosperous. It’s something that councils need to keep in mind when looking at their budget priorities.”
New issues are emerging which make life more difficult for high street businesses, the panellists warned. A factor discouraging people from shopping on high streets is the increase in the homeless population on urban streets, Ms MacDonald said. “It means shop owners keep their doors locked. Having to ring a bell or knock on the door to get in really creates a barrier; you don’t know if the shops are open and they may well be closed because some shops don’t keep regular hours.”
Another growing challenge amid a push to speed up new housing construction on commercial streets is that small businesses can be squeezed out, said Adam Lubinsky, principal of New York design firm WXY Studio, which has opened an office in Toronto. New York created tax incentives for businesses that provide local services in commercial areas.
Main street Arnprior, Ont. is a gathering place for community events and festivals.Amy O’Connor
“In Harlem, we limited the size of commercial units in buildings to avoid having banks and pharmacies that can afford the increased cost of renting over ground floor space that was previously home to many small independent businesses,” he said. “It’s not keeping the businesses out, it’s limiting the size of their floor plates to prevent large commercial units from dominating a block.”
All four factors need to be addressed for main street resilience, said Dorian Moore, vice president of Detroit-based design studio Archive DS, which has been involved in planning the redevelopment of Toronto’s Port Lands and was also a member of staff from Detroit’s. Land Use Master Plan Taskforce.
“The first is the building, especially historic buildings which are assets and need to be upgraded or saved from the mess. The second is public space; the street is a main public space, but attention also needs to be paid to parks, playgrounds and plazas that attract people to the street, said Mr Moore. “The third concern is mobility; in switching to cycling and ride sharing, we have to address their access. And finally, connectivity: The high street needs to be easily accessible from the surrounding community.”
To keep high streets healthy, governments need to be more involved from the initial planning and offer tax incentives to help support the type of small businesses and services that cater for the individuals who live in the area, he recommends.
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