General News

March 8, 2022

Burlington Economic Development and the Burlington Downtown Business Association announce revitalization of four local businesses through partnership with Government of Canada’s My Main Street

Burlington, Ontario – March 8, 2022 —Today, Burlington Economic Development and the Burlington Downtown Business Association (BDBA) are pleased to announce that the Downtown East Commercial Corridor, Brant and Lakeshore, Aldershot BIA and Fairview Retail Corridor will be participating in the Government of Canada-funded My Main Street Local Business Accelerator program. This will help revitalize our main streets, providing a total of $230,000 in non-repayable contributions to support more than 400 small business members.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) has announced a $23.25-million investment to the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) and the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) to establish My Main Street — a two-year program to support the recovery and revitalization of main streets and local businesses in southern Ontario through two program streams.

EDCO is delivering the My Main Street Local Business Accelerator program stream, which supports the revitalization of 65 main street communities, and provides non-repayable contributions for more than 650 local businesses across southern Ontario. The program focuses on creating and maintaining vibrant and inclusive local downtowns while providing residents, new entrepreneurs, and existing businesses with economic opportunities in our communities.

Four main street communities in Burlington will be supported with a dedicated Main Street Ambassador, customized market research, data analysis and non-repayable funding contributions for new and existing small businesses, providing focused wraparound business support for more than 400 members in the participating business districts.

“The Government of Canada is proud to provide the vital support small local businesses need to recover and grow,” said the Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. “The My Main Street program will ensure local main street businesses have the critical funding and support services they need to find innovative ways to adapt their businesses and create new economic opportunities that will help local businesses and their communities rebuild and keep our main streets vibrant.”

“The Government of Canada knows how important inclusive and accessible downtown cores are to ensuring communities are healthy, vibrant places to live and work.  Small businesses are the backbone of our local downtown cores.  The My Main Street program will help to revitalize Burlington’s Downtown East Commercial Corridor, Brant and Lakeshore, Aldershot BIA and Fairview Retail Corridor, and encourage local residents to support and explore local small businesses as they recover from the pandemic and build back better. This federal funding will support new and existing businesses to adapt to a new normal and bring life back into our main street communities,” said local MP Karina Gould (Burlington) and MP Pam Damoff (Oakville North-Burlington).

“As a co-lead on this exciting initiative, I am thrilled that two distinct downtown communities have been selected for the My Main Street program,,” stated Brian Dean, Executive Director of the Burlington Downtown Business Association. “Over 400small business members will receive wraparound supports at this critical time in our recovery and benefit from critical market research to grow stronger in the coming year.”

“Launching the My Main Street program in Burlington is such an exciting opportunity for the City. Thisprogram will bring additional support, funding, and resources to two already well-established and well-loved BIAs,while also bringing more support to our Fairview Retail Corridor, which has one of the highest densities of Main Street businesses in Burlington outside of our BIAs,” explained Anita Cassidy, Executive Director, Burlington Economic Development. “Alongside our partners at the BDBA, we look forward to championing this exciting project and bringing new economic opportunities to Burlington.”

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About FedDev Ontario
For more than 12 years, FedDev Ontario has worked to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation and growth in Canada’s most populous region. The Agency has delivered impressive results, which can be seen in southern Ontario businesses that are creating innovative technologies, improving their productivity, growing their revenues, and in the economic advancement of communities across the region. Learn more about the impacts the Agency is having in southern Ontario by exploring our pivotal projects.