Welcome to the Member Centre

Every other Wednesday, our team compiles a list of relevant news for our members, including what’s happening Downtown, what’s new and noteworthy, sponsorship and grant opportunities, Downtown Spotlights and more! If you are a member and wish to receive these communications, and/or you have some news to share, please contact jessica@downtownhalifax.ca

As a DHBC member, your business will automatically be featured in our Downtown Directory. Having a member account will give you admin access to update your member page(s), allowing you to edit them and upload events to our events calendar. If you are a DHBC member and don’t have a member account, please request one here. For questions regarding member accounts and pages, please contact jessica@downtownhalifax.ca 

Interested in having a spotlight put on you and your business? Apply to be featured here. Your business or organization will be featured on DHBC’s social media, @downtownhalifax, our blog, The Lowdown, and in our bi-weekly Members Update Newsletter.

DHBC runs several promotions and campaigns throughout the year. Recent initiatives include: DELIGHTFUL DOWNTOWN, Meet Me Downtown, Patio Season in Downtown Halifax, Show Your Downtown Love, March Break Downtown, and more. As part of these promotions, DHBC develops materials such as: social graphics, posters, brochures, window decals, prize packages, and more. With certain campaigns, there can be opportunities for members to take part. Stay connected through our socials @downtownhalifax, website, and/or the bi-weekly member update for all upcoming promotions and campaigns.

DHBC offers ongoing member networking events, information sessions, professional development and training opportunities, an annual holiday social and more. If you aren’t already receiving invitations to our member events and wish to, please get in touch with jessica@downtownhalifax.ca

DHBC offers a limited number of sponsorships for events that contribute to our strategic goals. DHBC’s Marketing Action Team, comprised of members, reviews and evaluates all sponsorship opportunities against specific criteria including event attendance, impact of DHBC’s sponsorship on the event, impact on the Downtown community, and more. Events must be taking place within the Downtown Halifax Business Commission district to be eligible to apply. View the Sponsorship Assessment Guidelines here and download the Event Sponsorship application form here. For more information on the Event Sponsorship Program, contact allana@downtownhalifax.ca.

Do you have a special event or activity that your business or organization is hosting? Or maybe you have a special promotion, a new product or something else that you would like us to share? DHBC has a sizable social media presence, with over 51K followers on Instagram, over 20K on Facebook, and 55.6K on X (Twitter). We use our social platforms to the benefit of our members, so be sure to follow and tag @downtownhalifax/ #downtownhalifax in your posts so we can help share. 

You can also login to your member account and upload your event(s) and promotion(s) to our popular events calendar. Our events calendar automatically pulls through to our twice-weekly public newsletter, ‘What’s Happening This Week’ and ‘What’s Happening This Weekend’, which gets shared publicly to over 3,300 people. You can subscribe to DHBC’s events newsletter in the footer of our website.

DHBC provides our membership with a collective voice at the table on all major issues concerning Downtown Halifax, including planning and development, urban mobility, heritage preservation, and more. We speak directly to all levels of government, the media, and other stakeholders on our member's behalf. These members range from small entrepreneurs to large, multinational firms. All have a vested interest in the economic prosperity of the Downtown core. Learn more about our advocacy efforts here.

DBHC offers various grant programs exclusively for members. Recent grant opportunities have included: Get Ready for Summer, Beautify your Business, Deck the Downtown, Online Marketing Assistance, etc. For more information on upcoming grant opportunities, please reach out to kimberly@downtownhalifax.ca

Pups on Patios 

Delegates Welcome Program

DHBC’s Action Teams are made up of interested individuals from any business or organization within the Downtown Halifax district. These teams discuss various topics ranging from government policies, event sponsorships, welcoming new businesses, or street improvements that are relevant to Downtown Halifax. DHBC’s four Action Teams are: Membership Engagement Action Team, Marketing Action Team, Placemaking Action Team, and Advocacy Action Team. You can see who is currently sitting on each DHBC Action Team here. All members are welcome to sit on an Action Team. For more information on becoming involved with our Action Teams, email info@downtownhalifax.ca

To help mitigate the perception of parking problems in Downtown, DHBC focuses on easy enhancements that benefit both our members and the public. DHBC sometimes offers free parking for special events, either through the HotSpot mobile app or the on-street parking stations. We also maintain an extensive, up-to-date parking page, which outlines where to park, the costs, and other tips for easy parking Downtown. If you have questions or concerns about parking in Downtown Halifax, please call 311.

The DHBC headquarters, located on Barrington Street, is not just an office. It is a Welcome Centre where visitors can come and learn about Downtown Halifax. If you are a DHBC member and would like to use the Downtown Halifax Welcome Centre to showcase your business or special promotion, host a networking event, or organize a special activity, please apply here

If your building has been tagged by graffiti, contact DHBC to have it removed. It’s as simple as that. Please note: the graffiti removal program is for privately owned, commercial buildings within the Downtown Halifax boundaries only. To report graffiti, contact (902) 423-6658 or info@downtownhalifax.ca

DHBC's goals are to:

• Attract People Downtown
• Increase Sales Downtown
• Incite Investment Downtown

In order to measure that success, DHBC has six electronic pedestrian (ped) counters installed to monitor foot traffic and recently started purchasing cell phone data from a company called Environics. Four times a year Environics sends us the latest visitation data that tracks total "visits" on a weekly basis and matches it to our boundary.

Click here for up-to-date ENVIRONICS data.
 

DOWNTOWN SPENDING

DHBC receives sales data from Dalhousie Transportation Collaboratory (DalTRAC) each year. 

According to their latest data (2022), total ground floor sales for Downtown Halifax increased by 0.2% from the previous year. This growth outperformed HRM-wide ground floor sales by 3.4%. The highest areas of growth were in the food and drink (3.1%) and accommodation sectors (0.5%).  

Total revenue for all Downtown Halifax businesses was $8.3M, representing 21.1% of all sales in HRM.

PED COUNTERS

Data is collected from the counters on an ongoing basis, and is made available to members and the public. With this information, DHBC can: more accurately monitor trends, capture event attendance, and discover relationships between revenue and visitation. You can also use the customizable tool to measure foot traffic on certain hours, days, weeks, or months of the year. The counters are located at the following locations: South Barrington Street; North Barrington Street; Argyle Street; George Street; Lower Water Street South; Upper Water Street North.

See how much foot traffic is on your street here or contact jonathan@downtownhalifax.ca

DHBC’s DELIGHTFUL DOWNTOWN features themed light shows on the former Halifax Memorial Library building at Grafton Park, seasonal decorations including a 26 foot tall illuminated tree at Peace and Friendship Park, LED lit tree-wraps, lamp pole lights, and other general decorations throughout Downtown. Christmas wreaths are installed along Downtown streets every winter and rainbow crosswalks are refreshed each summer In partnership with HRM. For more information on seasonal decorations and signage, contact info@downtownhalifax.ca

DHBC installs painted picnic tables (including wheelchair accessible tables) at the following locations during the summer and fall months: Peace and Friendship Park, Granville Mall, Sands at Salter (next to Bishop’s Landing), on the corner of Hollis and Salter Streets, Purdy’s Wharf, George and Hollis Streets, and the corner of Duke and Hollis Streets. A recent addition to Downtown includes the activation of Granville Mall during the warmer months, placing painted bistro tables, chairs, lights, and more in this public area. If you are interested in borrowing picnic tables for an event taking place in Downtown Halifax or have any questions pertaining to this program, please contact info@downtownhalifax.ca or (902) 423-6658.

*2022 grant applications are now closed*

Each spring, between May and June, DHBC’s Gritty to Pretty Placemaking Grants are awarded to individuals and businesses seeking to encourage civic pride, support local economies, and enhance the overall attraction and vibrancy of Downtown Halifax’s streetscape. Grant categories include the Open Grant, the Mural Grant, as well as our new Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) Mural and Open grants. Grant applicants are not required to be urban planners or professional artists, and can be eligible for up to $10,000 on an annual basis. For more information, please contact jonathan@downtownhalifax.ca.

This self-guided art tour showcases all the Gritty to Pretty Placemaking Grant projects around Downtown. Make sure to bring your camera as you spend the day exploring all the public art installations that make Downtown Halifax so memorable. 

We are passionate about keeping Downtown Halifax clean and beautiful. DHBC partners with HRM on matters of maintenance and ornamentation of the Downtown core. During the tourist season, May to September, the Downtown Halifax Crew, DHBC’s seasonal employees, maintain and enhance the Downtown area by removing graffiti and posters, and paint public items such as garbage cans and lamp posts. The Crew also serves as a valuable resource for tourists and visitors looking for directions or recommendations. For more information on the crew, please contact info@downtownhalifax.ca

DHBC maintains four poster kiosks and nine pole collars for community advertising. This project provides an alternative space for posters in an effort to clean up clutter in the Downtown. DHBC is responsible for kiosk maintenance on the 1st and 15th of every month. Please refer to the map of where you can find the poster kiosks and pole collars. For more information on poster kiosks, please contact info@downtownhalifax.ca

DHBC manages the banner program on Downtown Halifax’s lamp standards. The banners are used by event organizers to promote their events and programs that take place Downtown. The Halifax Jazz Festival, Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, Neptune Theatre, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Blue Nose Marathon, the SaltWire Holiday Parade of Lights, and Metro United Way have all used the banner program to raise awareness about their events and programs. For more information, please contact info@downtownhalifax.ca

Halifax Cruise Schedule

Scotiabank Events Calendar

Halifax Convention Centre Events Calendar 

Discover Halifax Events Calendar 

The Coast Events Calendar

Tourism Nova Scotia Programs 

Tourism Nova Scotia Business Tools and Resources 

Hire a recent graduate and the Government of Nova Scotia will cover a portion of their salary. Learn how.

Accessibility Guide for Social Media

Become a Rainbow Registered Business through Canada's LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce 

Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development (CEED)

Halifax Partnership

Business Development Bank of Canada

Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre 

Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia

Black Business Initiative

Discover Halifax Member Resources & Information

Halifax Chamber of Commerce 

Municipal

Road Works is an online map that outlines current and upcoming planned street and sidewalk disruptions in HRM.

Halifax Regional Municipality Information for Businesses

Municipal Event Grants

Provincial 

Government of Nova Scotia 

Department of Economic Development 

Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage

Nova Scotia Immigration 

Access Nova Scotia 

Federal 

Government of Canada

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Business Benefits Finder

Canada Business Network 

On February 24, 2022, DHBC presented a free webinar for members with Dashboard Living. If you missed it or would like to see it again, you can access the Zoom presentation here. 

AUDIO ONLY HERE

DOWNLOAD THE INSTAGRAM REELS CHECKLIST FROM DASHBOARD LIVING

About the Webinar:

In this free webinar, Dashboard Living will cover everything you need to know to get started with Instagram Reels for business including:

• Why every business should be using short form video
• How to create your first (or next) reel
• A feature-by-feature walk through
• Pro-tips on how to get access to music and new features
• How to batch create your reels to save time
• Best practices for using reels to grow your audience

On June 24,2022, DHBC presented a free webinar for members with Dashboard Living. If you missed it or would like to see it again, you can access the Zoom presentation here

Download the presentation here (includes link on page 38 to request your FREE copy of the Monthly Minimalist Marketing Plan).

About this Webinar:

With the rising costs of … everything … the importance of cost-effective marketing strategies is crucial for small businesses. In this webinar from June 24, 2022, Dashboard Living breaks down 5 proven ways to stretch your marketing budget in 2022 in this webinar. Learn actionable steps you can implement right now to make your marketing dollars work harder for you, including:

• The most profitable digital strategy for small businesses
• The #1 mistake almost everyone is making on social media right now (and how to fix it)
• The new ad strategy that bypasses the dreaded iOS updates
• One simple shift that will 10x your digital marketing results

On January 20, 2022, DHBC hosted a webinar with Turner Drake & Partners Ltd. to discuss property assessments and appeals. If you missed it, or would like to see it again, click here. 

AUDIO FILE ONLY 

Download the presentation HERE. 

About the Webinar

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting all aspects of business, including commercial property tax assessments. This has a direct impact on every business member, whether you are a landlord or a tenant. Different classifications of property are being impacted in different ways. Assessments have been proactively lowered by Property Valuation Services Corporation (PVSC) in some classifications, while others may have been impacted in other ways.

Join Giselle Kakamousias, Vice President of Turner Drake Partners Ltd, Property Tax Division, and other members of Turner Drake’s tax team, who will discuss how assessments are being impacted in the business areas of the Halifax Peninsula, and Downtown Dartmouth. She will also talk about the process, timelines, and decision rules for appealing your assessment, if you feel it is too high. Appeals can be filed by both landlords and tenants.