Downtown BIA mandate
The Downtown BIA’s name and mandate reflect its commitment to fostering commercial, community, and cultural growth in downtown Ottawa.
BIA Mandate
The Downtown BIA was formed after a successful expansion of the original Sparks Street Business BIA in 2025.
The Sparks Street Mall Authority will continue to manage the programming and public realm initiatives for this historic pedestrian street. The Downtown BIA will represent the business members on Sparks Street and beyond in the downtown core.
As stewards of Ottawa’s downtown revitalization, the Downtown BIA’s mandate is to support its people, place and prosperity. The BIA will achieve this through investments in four key pillars of economic development, community development, destination development and member advocacy.
The Expansion
Following a comprehensive consultation process with businesses and property owners, partners, and key stakeholders during 2024, the Sparks Street BIA's boundary expansion was approved by the City of Ottawa effective January 1, 2025, and the Downtown BIA was formed.
The Downtown BIA’s expanded footprint includes nearly 200 businesses, and numerous professional offices across 130 properties located on 40 city blocks. This expansion represents a significant opportunity to support the revitalization of downtown Ottawa. As part of the new branding, “Hello Downtown” invites businesses and property owners, employers and employees, residents and visitors to rediscover and reinvest in the downtown core.
- Downtown BIA
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