Chairman Tim Bullock, Simpson Wigle

The downtown core continues to attract attention. Everyone is familiar with the ongoing saga of the Lister Block and renewed hope for the Connaught. These are the big public issues that get a lot of attention. While these items remain to be resolved those of us at the Downtown BIA continue to soldier on with smaller less exciting issues but all of which we believe lead to a better downtown core.

We are focused on cleanliness, safety and promoting and looking after those things that are good downtown. Two years ago we spent over $30,000.00 on revitalizing Gore Park. New landscaping and spring flowers being the predominant items. Shrubs chosen were meant for an urban core area and to survive the car exhausts and pollution of city life. Unfortunately not all the plants survived but we believe it is a more attractive park particularly in the spring when 9,000 daffodils bloom. We are going to be at it again. In cooperation with the City we have to look at the landscaping in the park, the life span of the trees that were planted and what can be done to renew and refresh. This may all take part in conjunction with or separate from the City’s plans respecting King Street.

We have determined that we should be promoting the restaurants, the bars, the entertainment, the art that people already attend downtown to enjoy. Our goal being to have those who are attending the theatre, a show or any other performance come downtown early for dinner or stay after for a meal and a drink. We work cooperatively with the police, meeting regularly on a monthly basis and try to address any real or perceived problems.

The big plans seem hard to achieve. An interesting question that was posed is how many regular diners would be required in the downtown area to create a real effect on restaurant revenues and to bring more night time life to the streets. Would it require an increase of 100, 500 or 1,000 people per week? We hope by helping our members advertise and by improving people’s knowledge of downtown that the regulars will stay and more will come.

For those who say there is nothing downtown to do, it isn’t true. In the last three weeks I have eaten dinner downtown on several occasions, been to Theatre Aquarius, been to the Art Gallery and been to several Bull Dogs’ games. The Philharmonic is coming up. I don’t attend alone. Other people actually join me and seem to have a good time. The efforts of the Downtown BIA, the International BIA and the James Street North and South groups are having an effect. The problem area is the immediate area around Gore Park and how it presents itself. Clearly more retail is desired but for the time being the malls and strip plazas continue to win that battle. More people living, working and visiting downtown will force and create change. Slow but sure will win the race.