Notice of Intention

Downtown Nanaimo Business Association Business Improvement Area

The Downtown Nanaimo Business Association (DNBA) approached the City to renew the Business Improvement Area (BIA) for a five-year (5) term from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2030. Over the past five years, the DNBA has actively delivered a range of services and initiatives focused on enhancing public safety, beautifying the downtown area, organizing community events, and advocating on behalf of local businesses.

A business improvement area (BIA) is an association of businesses and commercial property owners within a specified commercial area who come together to promote the economic development of the area through various marketing, beautification, safety and advocacy initiatives.

The BIA is a type of Local Area Service that can be established in one of two ways:

Petition for service

Generally initiated by the local business owners, the petition must include information about the proposed business improvement area including boundaries and estimated costs. The petition must be signed by the owners of at least fifty percent of the parcels that would be subject to the local area tax, and those persons must be the owners of parcels that in total represent at least fifty percent of the assessed value of land and improvements that would be subject to the local service tax.

Council initiative – subject to petition against

Council may initiate the establishment of a business improvement area by proposing the service and providing an opportunity for affected property owners to submit a petition against it. In accordance with Section 94 of the Community Charter, notice of the proposed BIA must be published and mailed to all owners of parcels subject to the local service tax. The notice must include details such as the proposed boundaries and estimated costs. If Council does not receive a sufficient petition against the proposal within 30 days of notice, the BIA may be established by bylaw. The criteria for a sufficient petition against are the same as those for a petition in favour of the service.

Bylaw Information

The proposed "Downtown Nanaimo Business Association Business Improvement Area Bylaw 2025, No. 7395" would authorized the City to collect a special levy from Class 5 (Light Industry) and Class 6 (Business/Other) properties within the downtown Nanaimo BIA catchment. 

This levy is not a City grant. The City only administers the collection of the funds.

Catchment Area

There are not proposed changes to the existing catchment area.

Levy

The City collects the BIA levy as part of annual property taxes, then forwards the funds to the DNBA. The DNBA uses the funds for various programs and projects that improve and promote the downtown Nanaimo area including marketing, events, undertaking beautification initiatives, and advocating for the community.

The levy would be recovered from the owners of the taxable Class 5 (Light Industry) and Class 6 (Business/Commercial) properties and provided directly to the DNBA.

The proposed levy over the next 5 years would be:

The levy comprises of a fixed amount per property as well as a variable amount applied to each $1,000 of taxable assessment over $275,000. The variable amount is calculated annually in May.

Public Notice

Notices of Intention, as required under section 213 of the Community Charter were mailed to the affected properties on Thursday, October 23rd. Only properties that would be impacted by the BIA have been mailed a Notice of Intention and are eligible to complete a "Petition Against" form if they do not support the renewal of the downtown Nanaimo BIA.

The BIA will not proceed if, within the 30-day notice period, more than 50% of the property owners in the area, representing more than 50% of the assessed value according to the last property assessment, give notice in writing that they object to the BIA. 

Petitions must be legible, signed by the owner(s) of the parcel subject to the BIA levy representing at least 50% of the ownership. A copy of the "Petition Against" from can be accessed in one of three ways:

• Enclosed with the "Notice of Intention to Adopt the Downtown Nanaimo Business Association Business Improvement Area Bylaw 2025, No. 7395 for a Five-Year Period from Jan. 1, 2026 to Dec. 31, 2030” sent on October 23, 2025
• Below under "Additional Information"
• Pick up from City Hall at 455 Wallace Street, Nanaimo between Mondays and Fridays from 8:30am - 4:30pm, excluding statutory holidays.

The original signed petition against must be dropped off, couriered, or mailed to 455 Wallace Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5J6. The petition against period is from Thursday, October 30, 2025 to Friday, November 28, 2025.

The deadline for submitting a petition against is on Friday, November 28, 2025 at 4:30pm.

Next Steps

Questions?

To find out more about the DNBA's services and programs, including their budget, please visit www.downtownnanaimo.ca or email info@downtownnanaimo.ca.

For questions about the bylaw and the process, please contact Ana Francisco, Manager, Revenue Services at Ana.Francisco@nanaimo.ca or 250-755-4413.

Additional Information

• Downtown Nanaimo Business Association Business Improvement Area Bylaw 2025, No. 7395
• BIA Renewal Information Sheet
• Petition Against Form
• 2025-OCT-06 Regular Council Meeting report - to provide information regarding the renewal request (page 113)
• 2025-OCT-20 Regular Council Meeting report - to seek approval to proceed with notice of intention and to pass first three readings of the bylaw (Page 42)