What will happen to our distinct Canadian #downtowns? Downtowns provide heritage, whimsy & a beating heart -- & are also the economic cornerstone of our cities. When our downtowns thrive, so does the rest of the city. Long thread 1/14 #coviddowntown #covid19

Downtown main street retail, restaurants & services had been suffering before COVID-19 – rent, property & business taxes, gentrification, online shopping, etc. How is business, local govt & community responding…and is it enough? 2/14 #coviddowntown http://citysharecanada.ca 

Many #cdnmuni have launched business recovery taskforces assembling a mix of gov’t, business & community leaders. Go to http://citywatchcanada.ca  to look at how many of the 62 #cdnmuni tracked have launched financial support programs. 3/14 #coviddowntown http://citysharecanada.ca 

Some taskforces have surveyed local biz needs so as to tailor response. @cityoftoronto’s survey found priorities are: help w paying rent, eviction halts, direct financial support for employees; actions to access biz insurance, fee deferrals & biz dev programs. 4/14 #covid19Canada

The #CityofDuncan is accelerating downtown projects such as sidewalk widening and watermain replacement to minimize disruption to businesses when many might reopen later 5/14 #coviddowntown http://citysharecanada.ca 

But how much support can #cdnmuni provide? @cityofvictoria in its business resources webpage says that the City “is not permitted to grant direct assistance to businesses". #cdnmuni can advocate gov't for direct financial support. 6/14 #coviddowntown http://citysharecanada.ca 

What regional economic approaches will work and what is the role of the province? @imfgtoronto wrote recently that the province and municipalities could find ways to fund, plan, and deliver these vital services even more effectively. 7/14 #coviddowntown http://citysharecanada.ca 

Cdn #BIAs are helping members access resources, platforms, activities, visibility & advocacy on their behalf. Check @DBAyeg’s “Shop in the Heart” & #EatWithMeYEG, @downtownvan’s virtual events forum, @DowntownWpgBIZ’ webinars, @dtkamloops’ & @DowntownCCDA’s #COVID webpages 8/14

Community & residents are promoting #buylocal campaigns asking community to buy services, food, gift cards... @LocalTO is an initiative to support a Toronto downtown neighbourhood for people can buy “goody bags” in fixed amounts containing a mix of items from local shops 9/14

Many biz are supporting other downtown biz during COVID-19 by helping them to pivot to online platforms and enabling them to join other buying platforms. Many businesses are waiving or reducing fees for providing these services. 10/14

There are concerns about the downstream impact of redeeming gift cards later. One group of digital companies created a platform to donate to specific local businesses. The idea is to pay what would have given them if not for social distancing – the gym, salon, restaurant... 11/14

Local downtown businesses are giving back. Many are donating meals to homeless, frontline workers or offering free or discounted meals to those in need 12/14 #coviddowntown http://citysharecanada.ca 

What would our cities be without our main street shops - the vibe of TO's Queen West, @Kensington_BIA, Vancouver’s Main Street, Gastown, Montreal’s Plateau, Mile End, Ottawa’s Westboro, Hintonburg, @DBAyeg's Whyte Street, @DowntownHalifax's Barrington Street & others...13/14

Join us for two #citytalk webinars this week this important topic – sign up here: http://canurb.org/citytalk  & go to http://citysharecanada.ca  to examine the initiatives described in this thread & more. Type “downtown” into the keyword search, or filter by city. END 14/14