The Wellington West Business Improvement Area (BIA) and Crowdfund Canada have launched LOVE.WellingtonWest.ca, a joint crowdfunding program to support more than 550 member businesses across Ottawa neighbourhoods.This is the first pilot for the Community Wealth Sharing Initiative, supported by the McConnell Foundation, and is offered at no charge. Residents can invest in the success of local merchants. In return, merchants can choose to offer rewards like store credit, services, or product giveaways to be redeemed whenever they decide.

The movement to take back Montreal’s streets for pedestrians during this time of social distancing is spreading rapidly across the city. From full-on car-free zones to family streets to superblocks, Montreal, like many cities around the world, is reimagining the use of public space during this pandemic at an unprecedented pace.

This grant will support the purchase of required safety equipment which must be installed prior to re-opening. Businesses can apply to receive a maximum of $500. Under the program, only commercial property and business owners within the Business Improvement Area (BIA) will be considered.

A pilot project in Ottawa hopes to boost their chances with community crowdfunding, which has emerged as a vital tool for the social impact sector. Could it provide a model for Main Streets across Canada?