Markham Village B.I.A

A Business Improvement Area (BIA) is a municipally designated area and all of the businesses located within this area are automatically deemed to be members. The very first BIA was created in the City of Toronto, which now has 65 BIAs within its boundaries and the model has been seen as an example of how small businesses and municipal governments can work together for each other’s benefit.

The function of a BIA is simply to promote the BIA and beautify the BIA to support the businesses within its boundaries. They hold a number of special events each year including the Markham Farmers’ Market, Music on Main, Classic Car Show and Festival of Lights.

The geographical area of a BIA is determined by the Municipality, in our case the City of Markham, and is governed by the Province of Ontario’s Municipal Act. The boundaries of the Markham Village BIA are Main Street Markham from Highway 7 north to just above 144 Main St. N and includes the side streets – Centre St., Robinson St. and the west side of Washington St.  Every building owner within this designated area pays a special tax levy based on their property assessment that is used to fund all of the activities of the BIA. The BIA is managed by a volunteer Board of Management comprised of BIA members (owners and/or renters).

The Markham Village BIA currently has approximately 165 members. These include all the retail stores as well as all the businesses on Main Street Markham and the side streets. For more information about the MVBIA, visit their website www.mainstreetmarkham.com