Downtown Brampton Launches Digital Main Street Service Squad
BIA receives $10,000 Digital Main Street Grant to help main street businesses
improve online presence.
The Downtown Brampton BIA will be launched its new Digital Service Squad program on July 16 thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Ontario government designed to help main street
small businesses improve their online capabilities.
The Downtown Brampton BIA Digital Service Squad will help small businesses in the downtown area
enhance their use of digital tools and techniques to better evolve and grow. The Squad will consist of a trained specialist who will visit and assist BIA-area downtown businesses at no cost to help them set up Google My Business, conduct a digital-readiness assessment and apply for a $2,500 Digital
Transformation Grant. The Squad will start visiting businesses on July 17, 2019.
“We are very excited to welcome Digital Main Street to the Downtown Brampton BIA. This is an incredible opportunity which will help attract visitors, create jobs, and increase the competitiveness of small businesses,” said Suzy Godefroy, Executive Director of the Downtown Brampton BIA. “Small main street businesses in Brampton will to have the opportunity to learn how to promote online, use ecommerce, and streamline their processes with digital tools to stay competitive and win.”
A joint program funded by Government of Ontario and delivered by the Ontario BIA Association, Digital
Main Street helps improve how small main street businesses use digital tools and techniques to become
more successful. Today’s digital economy is vital to small businesses, and DMS will help them adopt new
digital technologies from e-commerce and social media to back-office systems such as payroll and
inventory.
“Our government is committed to helping small businesses improve their competitiveness, create jobs
and attract investment,” said Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “That’s
why I’m so pleased that businesses in the downtown Brampton area will benefit from the expertise of a
Digital Service Squad to help small businesses embrace digital technology. Our investment in the Digital
Main Street program will help to ensure that Ontario is open for business and open for jobs.”
“Gaining the experience necessary to compete in the digital age is an important element of success,” said Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, MPP for Brampton South. “And businesses in the downtown Brampton area
will receive hands-on training from the Digital Service Squads to help build their online presence.”
Digital Main Street offers two types of grants:
1. Digital Transformation Grant: There are 2,000 grants of $2,500 each available to qualifying small
“main street” businesses across Ontario to help them adopt new digital technologies.
2. Digital Service Squad Grant: There are 300 grants of $10,000 each available to qualifying
municipal or business groups across Ontario to develop and implement local squads of digital
vendors and experts to directly help small businesses.
“The Downtown Brampton BIA is leading the way in using the power of Digital Main Street to help keep
its downtown core vibrant and strong,” said Kay Matthews, Executive Director of the Ontario BIA
Association. “Our small main street businesses are a critical contributor to Ontario’s economic, social
and cultural health, and it’s vital that we work together to ensure their success. Digital Main Street will
help the small businesses of downtown Brampton to compete in an increasingly digital world. Businesses within the BIA area will be introduced to the Digital Service Squad over the coming weeks.
For further information, contact Alex Philip at the Downtown Brampton BIA at
Alex.Philip@brampton.ca
905-874-3518.
ABOUT the Ontario BIA Association
OBIAA is the network that represents unique and vibrant BIAs across Ontario. The Association supports
and advocates on behalf of its members through the building and nurturing of strong relationships and
partnerships. OBIAA is a leader in the development and sharing of information, tools, resources and best practices, and is the ONE voice on common issues.
ABOUT Digital Main Street
Vibrant main streets help attract visitors, create jobs, and increase the competitiveness of small
businesses, which are the backbone of small rural communities. The world is changing. Small main street businesses across Ontario must think about how to promote online, use e-commerce, and streamline their processes with digital tools to stay competitive and win. To help Ontario’s main street small businesses enhance their digital capabilities and online presence, the Ontario BIA Association and
Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs have partnered on this $12 million initiative
over three years. www.digitalmainstreet.ca
MEDIA & PROGRAM CONTACT:
Alex Philip
Digital Service Squad Member
Downtown Brampton BIA
905-874-3518
Email: alex.philip@brampton.ca