The Owen Sound Downtown Improvement Area (OSDIA) was formed by the Downtown Business community in 1973 under a by-law of the Corporation of the City of Owen Sound.

Governed by the Ontario Municipal Act the provincial mandate for all DIA/BIAs is:

A local municipality may designate an area as an improvement area and may establish a board of management, (a) to oversee the improvement, beautification and maintenance of municipally-owned land, buildings and structures in the area beyond that provided at the expense of the municipality generally; and (b) to promote the area as a business or shopping area.

Beyond the basic provincially regulated mandate, the OSDIA has established its own strategic vision and mission which remain at the core of who we are and how we conduct business.

VISION STATEMENT

Our vision statement is a brief future-oriented description of what our organization should look like and how it will successfully fulfill its intents.  While it can sometimes define a lofty or utopian view, it must nevertheless remain attainable, credible and attractive.  Expressed as a statement, our vision provides a clear understanding of where we are going.

In delivering this statement, it is important to realize that it represents the vision for the DIA organization itself, and not the vision for the downtown community at large.  Nevertheless,  it is acknowledged that the two are inherently connected, and the very success of the DIA as an organization is solely dependent on the success of the Downtown Community.

The vision of the Owen Sound DIA is to make a valuable, beneficial, and ongoing contribution to the DIA membership by effectively supporting initiatives that help to improve, beautify and promote the DIA community.

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission outlines our organization’s purpose and rationale for being. Unlike the vision statement which deals in the future, the mission statement deals in the present tense and describes specific outcomes and goals. Our mission statement supports our vision by describing how it will be attained.

Expressed as a statement, our mission provides a clear understanding of who we are and what we do. With a strong sense of vision, the following mission statement supports the goals of the organization.

The Owen Sound Downtown Improvement Area is committed to providing effective leadership in the ongoing development of the membership area as a vibrant and sustainable business, cultural, and residential community. We will achieve this goal by supporting initiatives aimed at improving, beautifying, and promoting the membership area on behalf of all of our members.

BENEFITS

With the wide ranging needs of a diverse downtown community, the Owen Sound Downtown Improvement Area continues to work towards developing programs and resources that benefit merchants and businesses throughout the community.  Among other things, these programs and resources include:

Enhanced downtown streetscaping (plants, flowers, trees, fixtures, art, etc.)

• Enhanced downtown maintenance (cleaning, watering, weeding, etc.)
• Ongoing downtown promotion (events, branding, promotions, etc.)
• Strengthening downtown community communications (newsletter, website, site visits, etc.)
• Special programs (Downtown Gift Certificates, preferred Merchant Visa & MasterCard Programs, etc.)
• Advocacy (representing the collective voice of the membership)
• Networking within the DIA community, and through alliances with other business and community sectors (meetings, committees, events, etc.)
• Education aimed at supporting programs that help members further develop relevant skills

OSDIA BOUNDARIES

Unchanged from inception in 1973, the current OSDIA boundaries are:

• south side of 11th Street East (to the north)
• north side of 7th Street East (to the south)
• west side of 4th Avenue East (to the east)
• Sydenham River (to the west)

COMMUNICATIONS

Strong, open, reliable, and timely communications are essential for the long term success of any organization.

The Owen Sound Downtown Improvement Area believes in keeping all communication channels open and available. We welcome your comments and feedback by phone, email, postal mail or in person.  Please click here for up to date contact information.

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT

Our Board of Management is made up of a combination of member elected downtown business owners/operated and City appointed officials.  Please click here for an up to date listing of our staff and board members.