We have 6 things we want to let you know about this week.
Topics below include: 1) DesignTO X KEDD 2022: Walking Tour 2)Need your February Feature 3)The Summit on the City: Recovering Canada's Downtowns 4)CafeTO Registration + $7500 CafeTO Grant 5)Extra traffic for your business - Be a Suppli return spot! 6)Your thoughts on the ShopOTT2Win contest please
Through our Members Newsletter and website, we aim to provide timely info from appropriate, expert sources. You are encouraged to do further research.
DesignTO X KEDD 2022:
The King East Design District (part of Old Town Toronto), will host a collection of DesignTO installations in the windows of select local businesses January 21–31, 2022 creating a self guided walking tour. (AKA the perfect excuse to bundle up, grab a warm drink and stretch your legs as you explore new and exciting design.)
Map:
We have created an easy to use Google Map to inform your walk. Click on the numbered icons to learn about each installation and tour at your own pace.
Contest:
Post a pic of your walking tour and tag @oldtowntoronto + @kingeastdesign and use #OldTownToronto for your chance to win a $100 gift certificate to the Old Town Toronto business of your choice. (YES! - Businesses and employees can enter as well!)
Time for you to submit a popular product, service, event, sale/promo or share a very special announcement such as welcoming a new staff member, a charity you support etc, for us to include in our customer facing newsletter, Where To Support Local.
Our newsletter is a great way to connect with locals, plus our social media team often pulls from it for extra content. Don't waste this opportunity. Help us put you in front of our readers/followers.
Using the button below, please submit for February and be prepared to include 3-5 full and complete sentences and a photo or poster.
Deadline: 12 noon, Tuesday January 25th.
Estimated publication date: Tuesday February 1st.
The Summit on the City: Recovering Canada's Downtowns
The Canadian Urban Institute, with partners, is planning The Summit on the City: Recovering Canada’s Downtowns on January 25 and 26, 2022.
Together, with a national network of organizations, initiatives, researchers, city staff, elected leaders, community activists, professional and industry associations, and business and corporate leaders, we are bringing the best expertise to transform our downtowns into more inclusive, just, and resilient places.
The two-day summit will feature public sessionsto drive thought leadership on the future of downtowns and working table discussions with leaders across industries and sectors.
The end result: an action plan for downtown recovery that includes federal, provincial, and municipal investment priorities and policy leadership, crucial elements of the new urban agenda for Canada.
Restaurant operators can now apply for sidewalk café permits or register for curb lane cafés. The deadline to register for curb lane cafés is April 2.
Sidewalk cafés are outdoor eating areas located on sidewalks where food or drinks are served to the public by a licensed eating or drinking establishment.
Curb lane cafés provide expanded temporary outdoor dining space by reallocating the public right-of-way on curb lanes for use by licensed eating or drinking establishments. The deadline to register for curb lane cafés is April 2.
Through CaféTO, the City has amended its regulations to make it easier for eating and drinking establishments to install or expand patios on private property.
GRANT:New for 2022, café operators are now eligible for a matching grant of up to $7,500 to cover 50 per cent of the cost of eligible property or site improvements related to curb lane café installations, sidewalk cafés or patios on private property, through the CaféTO Property Improvement Program.
Learn more about the permit, registration and zoning bylaws by clicking here.
Extra traffic for your business - Be a Suppli return spot!
Suppli is a Toronto based reusable takeout container service. While they would love to have our local restaurants sign up, what they are actually searching for right now are container return spots. Maybe that is your! Being a drop off spot is a great way to increase foot traffic.
Once customers have enjoyed their waste-free meal, they rinse and return them to a drop-off/return spot. Coffee shops have traditionally been popular partners but they are open to other types of businesses.
To find out more (honestly it is really easy) please email Julianna Greco directly at julianna@mysuppli.ca, and tell her we sent you.
Your thoughts on the ShopOTT2Win contest please
The ShopOTT2Win contest has wrapped up with 2600+ entries and customers telling us they shopped more because of it and believe it will have an impact on their future local shopping behaviour.
Now it's your turn to tell us what you think. Please take 2 minutes to complete this short survey, your feedback is important as we continue to try to drive customers to our member businesses in Old Town Toronto.
Am I a member? Every business and commercial property owner within the boundaries of The St. Lawrence Market Business Improvement Area (BIA), also known at Old Town Toronto, are automatically members of our not-for-profit organization.
What is a Business Improvement Area? A Business Improvement Area (BIA) is made up of commercial and industrial property owners and their non-residential tenants who join together under a volunteer Board of Management (BIA Board) to carry out improvements and promote economic development within their designated area.
There are currently 83 BIAs in the City of Toronto. They work in partnership with the City to enhance and promote business areas as safe, vibrant places to do business, unique destinations for tourists and focal points for neighbourhood activity...(click learn more to continue reading.)
Looking for something from a past issue? You can find each individual past newsletter by clicking here or much of the same content is shared on our Information & Resources page.
