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What is Business Improvement Area (BIA)

A Business Improvement Area (BIA) is a non-profit association of commercial property owners and business tenants who join together to promote and improve the economic vitality of their business district. The City assists by helping the merchants and landlords to form BIAs. Once a BIA is formed, it is managed by a volunteer board comprised of property owners and tenants. BIA funds are used to hire staff and implement BIA activities. The City has a continuing role assisting with contacts between the BIA and City departments, facilitating the annual funding process, and monitoring BIA budgets. BIAs obtain funding through a special property tax, much like a Local Improvement Levy. Each property owner’s share of the annual BIA budget is proportionate to their share of the total taxable value within the BIA boundaries.

History of Vancouver Chinatown BIA Society (VCBIA)

In the 1990s, the Chinatown business community, through the Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association, began to search for an effective vehicle to fund and implement projects to revitalize the area. Other areas, such as Gastown and Downtown Vancouver had formed Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) to revitalize, with visible success. With the consent and support of the merchants and the property owners in the area, Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association planned to establish the BIA in the area.

After several attempts in the 1990s, the VCMA succeeded in obtaining the business and property-owner support required to establish a Chinatown BIA. The VCBIA was incorporated in 2000. The BIA in Chinatown is modeled after successful BIAs in other areas in the City of Vancouver and mandated to benefit Chinatown’s prosperity. With the focus on improving Chinatown’s safety and cleanliness, expanding and strengthening its promotions and events, and working with the media and external partners to improve Chinatown’s public realm, public perception and relations.

Mandates & Mission Statement

CHINATOWN BIA SOCIETY OBJECTIVES

TO DEVELOP, encourage and promote business in the Chinatown Business Improvement Area;
TO MAKE studies of, and advance any project, plan, or improvement designed to benefit the Chinatown Business Improvement Area;
TO COOPERATE with and aid any person, body, group, or association in projects designed to benefit the Chinatown Improvement;
TO RAISE revenue to carry out the purposes of the Society; and
TO PROMOTE matters of common concern and interest to businesses and property owners in the Chinatown Business Improvement Area, and to bring together businesses and property owners in the Chinatown Business Improvement Area for fulfilling the purposes of the Society.

What VCBIA has accomplished

Vancouver Chinatown BIA Society focus on improving Chinatown’s safety and cleanliness, expanding and strengthening its promotions and events, and working with the media and external partners to improve Chinatown’s public realm, public perception and relations.
The following are part of the task that VCBIA had launched previously:

Promoting Chinatown:

Chinatown Map
Chinatown Website
To promote Chinatown through Tourism Vancouver and Tourism Richmond.
To broadcast the events & news of Chinatown through the media.

Beautifying the environment and maintain the safety in the area:

Alleys cleaning
Graffiti Removal
Security Patrol
Promote the profile of Chinatown, improve the business environment:
To Organize the Chinatown Festival annually
To provide “Customer Service Skills & Workplace English Training Program” for the employees in Chinatown
To launch “We Speak English Campaign” & “Bilingual Signs Campaign”
To implement the Cleaning Campaign in Chinatown”
To organize Festival events
To participate actively in the community events as well as the Revitalization program of Chinatown.

Vancouver Chinatown BIA Society Board of Directors (Oct 2008 to Sep 2009)

Title

Name

Contact

President	Albert FOK	Vancouver Chinatown BIA Society Address: 508 Taylor Street, Vancouver, V6B 6M4 Phone: 604-632-3808 Fax : 604-632-3809 E-mail : vcbia@vancouver-chinatown.com
Vice President	Agnes WONG
Vice President	Albert TSANG
Vice President	Jordan ENG
Vice President	Francis WONG
Treasurer	Barney TZAU
Vice Treasurer	Grace WONG
Operations Officer	Wayne YEUNG
Director	Daniel Lee
Director	Diana YU
Director	Joey Wong
Director	John BAL
Director	Lai Yee LOW
Director	Michael NG
Director	Syrus LEE
Director	Tak-Shing CHAU
Director	Teresa LEE
Executive Manager	Diamond Liu	vcbia@vancouver-chinatown.com