Peanut Gallery Vancouver City Council
| | Est. 12,026 HE | |

Approve 2026-27 BIA Budgets

Motion 15 · Council Meeting, March 10, 2026

On Consent Watch recording

Summary

  • Council approved a total of $20,359,547 in grants to Vancouver's 22 Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) for the 2026–27 fiscal year, a 4% increase over the previous year.
  • Each BIA's budget was approved by its own membership at an Annual General Meeting in summer 2025 before being submitted to the City for review.
  • Funds are collected through a special tax levy on commercial (Class 6) and light industrial (Class 5) property owners within each BIA's boundaries, with the first payment advanced in April and recovered through the July property tax.
  • Planned spending priorities include district promotion and placemaking (roughly one-quarter of total funding, up 27% year-over-year), community safety (about one-fifth), and governance and administration (nearly one-third).
  • The largest individual allocations go to Downtown Vancouver BIA ($6.82M), West End/Davie Village BIA ($1.12M), and Yaletown BIA ($1.2M); smaller BIAs such as Point Grey Village ($192K) and Dunbar Village ($186K) receive more modest amounts.
  • The City's Business and Economy Office is working with BIA leadership to standardize budget reporting formats, aiming to improve transparency, reduce administrative burden, and better communicate BIA impacts to members and the public.

Report Images

Chinatown BIA proposed 2026-2027 budget showing revenues of $669,445 and itemized expenses across governance, promotions, placemaking, and community safety.
Chinatown BIA proposed 2026-2027 budget showing revenues of $669,445 and itemized expenses across governance, promotions, placemaking, and community safety.
South Granville BIA proposed 2026-2027 budget of $770,500 summarized by category including marketing, events, safety, administration, advocacy, and contingency.
South Granville BIA proposed 2026-2027 budget of $770,500 summarized by category including marketing, events, safety, administration, advocacy, and contingency.
Robson Street BIA proposed budget with $847,343 in total revenue and expenses across administration, community relations, marketing and promotion, street enhancement, and contingency.
Robson Street BIA proposed budget with $847,343 in total revenue and expenses across administration, community relations, marketing and promotion, street enhancement, and contingency.

Transcript

3 segments
Ken Sim 10:45:07

Are there any coming on the queue to...

Councillor Frye, want to put yourself in the queue? I can do that now. I'll advance you. Go ahead, Councillor Frye.

Pete Fry 10:45:22

Yeah, I'd like to hold 5, 6, 7, please.

Clerk 10:45:30

Okay, so 6 and 5 and 7 are already being held or held back for speakers. So we'll just add report 6 to that one. Thanks very much. Okay. Okay, thanks very much. I have a seconder. Seconded. Councillor Kirby-Young. All those in favour? Opposed? That carries. Thanks very much. Okay.

I should have asked if anyone has a conflict of interest. My apologies. But I'm assuming no one does. That's fine. Okay. So we have reports.

One. I'm just going to write them down here a sec. Okay. So we have report one, approval of 2026 business improvement area BIA budgets. Report two, 2026 graffiti abatement grants for business improvement areas. Report three, proposed Vancouver charter amendment business improvement area renewal. Report 4, Annual Federation of Canadian Municipalities, FCM, Union of British Columbia Municipalities, UBCM, and Lower Mainland Local Government Association, LMLGA, membership fees for 2026. Report 8, Community Housing Incentive Program Grant. ALT, Commercial Housing Society Co-op Housing Project. Report 9, Amendments to Street Vending By-law to Support 2026 Granville Street Summer Patios. Report 10, Nomination Subjects. recommendations transmittal report and report 11 auditor general committee recommendations transmittal report all right we will now move on to unfinished business this is item 1 is c1 rezoning tent 1030 to 1070 East Hastings Street 1115 to 1125 East Hastings Street and 360 Glen Drive and 1168 and 1182 East Hastings Street Thank you.

At the public hearing on February 24, 2026, Council heard the staff presentation, applicant comments, and asked questions to staff, and the applicant heard from public speakers and then closed the speakers list and received public comments. Subsequently, Council referred closing comments, further questions to staff, debate and decision to this meeting as unfinished business. Councillor Bligh and Kirby Young missed a portion of the public hearing and will need to confirm they have

Documents