New Gift Card Can Be Used In Downtown Peterborough

There’s a new gift card that can be used at more than 65 shops, restaurants, and services in Downtown Peterborough.

Downtown Dollars are now available as a prepaid credit card for shopping local on-line or in-store this holiday season. This Downtown Business Improvement Area program can be used with participating downtown retailers, restaurants, pubs, bars, salons, and galleries.

Downtown Dollars are available for purchase at TheBoro.ca or directly at the Downtown Business Improvement Area office at 313 Water Street. For inquiries, call 705-748-4774 or email theboro@downtownptbo.ca.

Shopper Deanna Henry holds up one of the new Downtown Dollars gift cards now available for shopping in-store and on-line in Downtown Peterborough. (photo courtesy DBIA)

“Our Downtown Dollars have long been a popular gift route,” says Terry “Mr. Downtown” Guiel, Executive Director of the DBIA. “Being able to load them onto a card really takes this program to the next level and will make for a better customer experience, which will work out to more local spending.”

The program is expected to help increase spending at local downtown businesses. Consumers spend an average of 65% more than the value of a gift card when making a purchase.

The card that the DBIA will be using for the Downtown Dollars program is made of 50% recycled material. When your card is depleted, drop it off at participating retailers or the DBIA office to be sent away for recycling.

For every $100 spent locally, up to $48 stays in our community, as compared to $14 when you shop at a box store.

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Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area Receives Funding Through The Rural Economic Development Program

The Ontario government is committing nearly $1 million in cost-share funding to help communities like Peterborough-Kawartha diversify their economies, retain skilled workers and create jobs, through a new targeted intake of the Rural Economic Development (RED) program.  

The intake is directed at not-for-profit organizations with a mandate towards regional economic development, and Peterborough is among those benefitting from support for local projects funded under the RED program, as the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) is receiving $23,921 for decorative lighting to entice more people downtown.

MPP Dave Smith pictured with Terry Guiel, DBIA Executive Director

“Our downtown has faced unprecedented challenges in the last several months”, says MPP Dave Smith. “Critical investments in making the downtown brighter, safer and more inviting for the Christmas season is another step forward in our economic recovery.”   

"I am very grateful that with the combination of the RED funding that we were able to secure along with installation support from the City of Peterborough, the DBIA will be able to bring a record amount of decorative holiday lights to the downtown,” says Terry “Mr. Downtown” Guiel. “These new holiday lights will bring a bright, yet more warm ambience to the downtown than the previous ones".

"With all the stresses our community has been under this past year, we could sure all use something to help brighten the spirit and these beautiful lights should help with that while hopefully attracting some holiday shoppers to the area,” adds Guiel.

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Paramedic Takeout Program: DBIA and Y Drive PTBO Collaborate To Feed Isolating Paramedics

Contactless food delivery from downtown restaurants is now available to Peterborough City-County Paramedics isolating from their friends and families at the Holiday Inn Waterfront, thanks to a new Paramedic Takeout Program by the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area and Y-Drive PTBO.

“The Downtown Business Improvement Area is delighted to be working with the Peterborough City-County Paramedics to feed our front-line workers,” says Terry Guiel, Executive Director of the DBIA. “We have a bounty of amazing restaurants for our paramedics to choose from while in isolation. Food is the most basic form of comfort and we are so incredibly pleased to be spreading a little joy to our isolating paramedics at this time.”

“Along with the DBIA’s Paramedic Takeout Program administrative support, we now have a beautifully designed takeout menu with a plethora of options made specifically for our paramedics,” adds Peterborough County Warden, J. Murray Jones. “Our Paramedics do so much for us. It is so great to provide this for them, and at the same time contribute to local businesses.”

Photo courtesy DBIA

The Peterborough City-County Paramedics set aside funds for meals and accommodation to support the Paramedics through isolation. “Our paramedic team is giving all they’ve got and it’s our responsibility to accommodate them in these uncertain times,” adds PCCP Chief Randy Mellow. “We are very grateful to the DBIA, the downtown restaurants, Y Drive and the Holiday Inn for helping us look after them.”

Y Drive PTBO—a local app-based delivery service—stepped up to support the takeout program, providing free delivery for any participating restaurant unable to deliver foodstuffs themselves.

“Now, more than ever, we need to support our front-line workers—offering free delivery through this program allows Y Drive PTBO to give back to those who are working hard to safeguard our community health,” say Rob Davidson and Erica Young, co-owners and operators of Y Drive PTBO.

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Help Frontline Healthcare Workers & Local Businesses When You Purchase Downtown Gift Cards

The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) has launched a great new initiative to support both downtown businesses and frontline workers during this crisis.

The DBIA is donating $25 to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation in support of the hospital’s COVID-19 response effort for every $50 in gift cards purchased at supportdowntownptbo.ca. 

Photo courtesy DBIA

Thanks to a generous community donation of up to $50,000, the PRHC Foundation is able to match community donations for a limited time, meaning your purchase of $50 in gift cards for your local downtown businesses can leverage $50 in support of the PRHC Foundation. 

Donations to the PRHC Foundation’s COVID-19 response fund will help fund vital investments such as additional ventilators, laryngoscopes for emergency intubation, additional ICU beds, wellness supports for staff who must stay at the hospital while treating patients, and more protective equipment and scrubs to help keep them safe.

Photo by Mary Zita Payne

Local businesses continue to face many challenges and your support with the purchase of gift cards is helping them through a very difficult time. 

 “The support of our community has been phenomenal,” says Terry Guiel, Executive Director of the DBIA. “Your support with these gift cards has absolutely helped to save some of our local businesses. Let’s keep this up and support our hospital and the amazing work they’re doing to keep us safe.”

 HOW IT WORKS

• Go to supportdowntownptbo.ca

• Find your favourite shops, restaurants, pubs, and services

• Select the gift cards you would like to purchase and add them to your cart

• Select the $25 PRHC Foundation Special Promotion and add one for every $50 in gift cards you purchase 

• Check out

• Receive your gift cards (or instructions from the business via email on next steps to activate it) in the mail to use at a later date

The DBIA will continue to donate $25 to the PRHC Foundation for every $50 in gift cards purchased until $5,000 in gift cards have been purchased.

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2020 Taste Of Downtown Has Been Cancelled Due To Covid-19 Crisis

With the uncertainty around Covid-19 and timelines around this physical distancing phase, the popular downtown event Taste of Downtown has been cancelled for 2020.

Taste of Downtown was scheduled for Saturday, June 6th on Charlotte Street. The event typically features more than 20 local restaurants, live entertainment, a beer garden, and family activities. The event will return to Charlotte Street on June 5th, 2021.

File photo courtesy DBIA

“The most important thing right now is that people look after themselves, stay safe, and stay home,” says Terry Guiel, Executive Director of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area. “Rest assured, when we get through this crisis and it’s safe to hold events again, we’re going to host a big party downtown and everyone’s invited.”

In the meantime, if you still want a taste of what the downtown has to offer, check out their list of downtown eateries that are open for takeout and delivery here.  

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Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area Launches Digital Main Street Service Squad

Starting in April, the innovative Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) will be leading the local Digital Main Street initiative with a Digital Service Squad to help main street small businesses improve their online capabilities. 

The DBIA received a $10,000 grant from Digital Main Street as well as support from Community Futures Peterborough and the DBIA’s own resources to establish a Digital Service Squad to help small businesses in the downtown area enhance their use of digital tools and techniques to better promote and sell online.

Photo courtesy DBIA

The Squad will see a trained online specialist visit and assist businesses at no cost to help them set up Google Business, conduct a digital-readiness assessment, and apply for a $2,500 Digital Transformation Grant. 

“This program is going to make our downtown more competitive and vibrant,” says DBIA Executive Director Terry Guiel. “We know we have to meet our customers where it’s most convenient for them. The beautiful bricks and mortar physical locations will always be the core of what makes downtown what it is, but we need to help our businesses make the best use of their resources for promotions, serving their customers, and reaching new markets.”

Photo courtesy DBIA

HOW IT WORKS

-> Digital Main Street helps improve how small 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. 

Photo courtesy DBIA

Businesses within the downtown area will be introduced to the Digital Service Squad at the end of April.

For further information or to participate in the program, email DBIA Communications Manager Joel Wiebe here or call 705.748.4774.

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Donation Of Over $16,000 From Holiday 2 Hours Free Parking Presented To Kawartha Food Share

A total of $16,256 was raised for Kawartha Food Share in December 2018 through the generosity of people who opted to pay for parking during the Holiday 2 Hours Free Parking period, Mayor Diane Therrien announced with program sponsor HotSpot on Monday, January 28th.

This year, Holiday 2 Hours Free Parking was sponsored by HotSpot Parking. Hotspot has continued its support by announcing an additional $500 donation to Kawartha Food Share. “Kawartha Food Share is able to purchase $6 worth of food for every $1 it receives, bringing the total buying power of this combined donation to over $100,000,” Mayor Therrien says. “This donation is helping people throughout our community to put food on their tables.”

Thank you to all who donated to @Kaw_FoodShare by voluntarily paying for parking during the Holiday 2 Hour Free Parking event. With a top-up donation from sponsors @hotspotcities, a total of $100,000 buying power will help feed Peterborough families. pic.twitter.com/pFrt7Isrnx

— City of Peterborough (@CityPtbo) January 28, 2019

“We are so thankful for the continued support of the City of Peterborough and the local shoppers for supporting Kawartha Food Share each and every December,” says Ashlee Aitken, general manager of Kawartha Food Share. “This donation will allow us to purchase $100,000 worth of food which is an amazing help for us as we begin to restock our shelves after the busy holiday season.”

“We are excited to be contributing to the Peterborough community with this donation,” adds Phillip Curley, CEO of HotSpot. “Since we launched our parking app in December, we’ve had 1,602 drivers register to pay for their parking in Peterborough on the HotSpot app. This is a great start and we look forward to a strong future in the city.”

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Holiday Shopping Passports Are Now Available For Downtown Shopping

Make sure to shop downtown with your Holiday Shopping Passport over the holiday season for your chance to win up to $3,000 in downtown money.

There are more than 140 places to collect stamps this holiday season in downtown. The passports feature three early bird prizes of $500 in downtown money to be drawn December 5th, 12th and 19th with the grand prize of $1,500 in downtown money to be drawn January 9th.

The Holiday Shopping Passports program rewards people for supporting local businesses by shopping, dining and enjoying downtown. Last year’s program saw shoppers stamp a whopping $1.9 million worth of Holiday Shopping Passports.

Left to right: Joel Wiebe, Terry Guiel, Theresa Foley, Jonathan Moreno, James Wallwork and Lena Wallwork

HOW THE HOLIDAY SHOPPING PASSPORT PROGRAM WORKS

-> Every time you spend $10 at a participating business, a box on your passport will be stamped.

-> When your passport is filled (20 stamps), complete the form and drop it off at a ballot box at one of the participating businesses.

-> Each completed passport is a ballot for a draw to win downtown money. There are more than 100 participating businesses downtown.

-> Bring your Holiday Shopping Passport downtown on November 23rd for Black Friday as more than 100 downtown businesses put on some of the biggest sales of the year.

FREE PARKING DOWNTOWN

Also, the DBIA’s annual promotion of two hours free street parking starts on Black Friday and runs until the end of December thanks to the City of Peterborough Parking Division.

Check out downtownptbo.ca for the full list of participating passport locations.

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Pop-Up Patio Comes To Downtown Peterborough This Summer

Mayor Bennett; Delia Senra, Co-owner of Natas Café; and DBIA Executive Director Terry Guiel at the Ribbon cutting ceremony for pop up patio. Photo by Evan Holt

The Peterborough downtown, which is constantly innovating in exciting and dynamic new ways to showcase our beautiful downtown core—from upcoming (free) outdoor Wi-Fi (no official launch date yet) to the Summer Music series on Fridays to downtown murals—is now launching a "pop up patio".

The first pop up patio/sidewalk is at Natas Café on George Street...

Photo at Natas by Terry Guiel, DBIA

This pilot project meant to look at ways of "animating George Street" is a joint partnership between the City of Peterborough, the DBIA and Natas Café. Parking along this section of George Street will shift as the police have given up their dedicated spaces to become regular parking, resulting in no parking spaces being lost.

Photo by Evan Holt

The patio is on the sidewalk, and a pedestrian bump-out has been created to ease traffic around it. Much like the seasonal patios on Hunter Street, the new pop-up patio will be available when the weather gets warm and will be stored off-site in the off season.

“This is going to help animate George Street as people driving and cycling down one of our busiest streets see our downtown patrons outside enjoying themselves,” says Terry Guiel, Executive Director of the DBIA. “We’re excited to launch this pilot project at Natas Café and hopefully we can build on this in the future.”

"The City and the DBIA are working together to activate public spaces in our downtown," says Mayor Bennett.

"The sidewalk bump-out pilot project joins other initiatives such as the downtown murals program and the planned urban park at the Louis Street parking lot as we continue to invest in creative ways to generate activity in the commercial core for the benefit of the entire community," adds Mayor Bennett.

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