Accessibility & Inclusion Resources Committee (AIRC)
Welcome to the Roncesvalles Village BIA Accessibility & Inclusion Resources Committee (previously the Social Justice and Anti-Racism Committee) page.
The Accessibility & Inclusion Resource (AIR) Committee was born out of an evolution of SJAR, which far better reflects the activities of the committee and our capacity to support those activities within the framework of a Business Improvement Area.
The committee is refocusing efforts to amplify events and make available educational resources to members Roncesvalles Village Business Improvement Area (RVBIA) which foster an accessible and inclusive Main Street both for members of the BIA and visitors and residents.
As are all Toronto Business Improvement Areas, the Roncesvalles Village Business Improvement Area is funded via a commercial property tax levy on commercial buildings located within the established boundaries and are governed by Chapter 19 via the City of Toronto. The Roncesvalles Village BIA’s purpose is to establish and improve our Main Street as a safe, vibrant, diverse and enjoyable place to shop, visit, live and work – and as a place for businesses to thrive.
This is accomplished through maintaining and improving the Streetscape beautification (garden beds, public art, assets like lamp standards), executing destination marketing initiatives (such as Rendezvous on Roncy and holiday shopping campaigns), hyper local events (like the Roncesvalles Polish festival) and more.
Along with the volunteer Board of Management, the RVBIA has sub-committees which aim to execute initiatives which fulfill the above mandate. One such committee is the Roncesvalles Village BIA Accessibility & Inclusion Resource Committee who works towards maintaining and establishing Roncesvalles as a safe and inclusive place to live, work, visit and shop.
Purpose of Committee: to create and sustain a welcome, safe and inclusive Main Street, dedicated to providing access to existing resources and supporting accessible inclusive events on Roncesvalles..
Framework: the mandate of the Roncesvalles Business Improvement Area (RVBIA), as a BIA, is to focus on our Main Street – both by increasing area awareness through Destination Marketing and by continuing to nurture and create a safe and welcoming place for people to visit, shop and dine as well as providing member businesses access to municipal, provincial and federal resources.
Given these factors, this committee functions in 2 ways:
- To provide education/information to businesses/members on how to operate their businesses in an equitable fashion (diversity education, access to human rights and equity resources, accessibility (AODA) regulations, and anti-racism legislation etc).
- Amplify and support local cultural and events and initiatives taking place on our Main Street which reflect promoting awareness or in support of the above issues. For example, events which celebrate marginalized groups (ex: Pride events, National Truth and Reconciliation events, accessibility awareness etc)
Limitations:
As a Business Improvement Area, our responsibilities, outlined in Chapter 19, are first to our members, made up of commercial property owners and their commercial property tenants located within commercial properties in our established boundaries in the effort of maintaining Roncesvalles as a viable commercial area via Destination Marketing and Streetscape Improvements. Some of these limitations include (but are not limited to), advertise or pay for advertisements in any political publication; make or fund improvements to private property, with the exception of graffiti and postering removal as they directly relate to maintaining the public realm.
Now available:
The RVBIA Accessibility & Inclusion Resource Committee (AIRC) offers micro grants which are available specifically to support activations on the Main Street which contribute to our commitment towards amplifying and showcasing marginalized voices within our community.
To read more or apply please go to the AIRC Micro Grants application page.