Old Strathcona Business Association

What Old Strathcona Business Association does

Old Strathcona Business Association (OSBA) is a non-profit Business Improvement Area (BIA) organization incorporated on September 14, 1993 and headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. It represents nearly 600 businesses and organizations in the Old Strathcona and Whyte Avenue District, operating as one of 13 designated BIAs in the City of Edmonton and serving businesses within the legislated Provincial Historic Area boundary. OSBA is governed by a Board of Directors composed of business owners and is staffed by four permanent employees plus seasonal ambassadors.

OSBA's core offerings are community development and placemaking programs rather than software products. Its member-facing surface includes an online business directory, an events calendar, a patio map, a curated mural map (70+ murals), and publishing of Oldstrathcona.com. Operationally it runs the Old Strathcona Clean Team (graffiti and trash removal in partnership with The Mustard Seed), the newly launched Old Strathcona On-Call (OSOC) Patrol Team (in partnership with HireGood), beautification programs such as Bloomin' Boulevards and the Zocalo art installation, and grant-funded placemaking capital projects including a roughly $250,000 permanent street furniture installation completed in Spring 2024. The underlying technology is a WordPress-based website with directory and event-calendar functionality — no proprietary tech stack, no AI/ML components, and no software platform product.

OSBA's business model is dual-stream and non-dilutive: (1) recurring business levies collected from member businesses within the BIA geographic boundary, and (2) grants and sponsorships, cumulatively exceeding $700,000 since 2017, including a $187,000 Prairies Canada grant and funding from the City of Edmonton's Enhanced Services Grant. It is a private non-profit membership association with no external investors, parent company, or publicly disclosed financials, and revenue mechanics depend on levy compliance within the district plus non-dilutive public-sector grant capture.

Name

Old Strathcona Business Association

Legal name

Old Strathcona Business Association

Website

https://oldstrathcona.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Old Strathcona Business Association is a non-profit Business Improvement Area serving nearly 600 businesses in Edmonton's Old Strathcona and Whyte Avenue District, delivering beautification, safety patrols, clean-team services, placemaking, and member marketing programs funded by business levies and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Business Levy: All businesses in the Old Strathcona BIA area contribute a levy which is allocated to pursue numerous initiatives to influence and improve the business environment. The OSBA is guided by a Board of Directors made up of business owners.
2. Grants and Sponsorships: OSBA has secured significant grant funding including over $700,000 in grants and sponsorships, including a $187,000 Prairies Canada grant for permanent street furniture and funding from City of Edmonton's Enhanced Services Grant.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

OSBA is a Business Improvement Area (BIA) that represents nearly 600 member businesses in Edmonton's Old Strathcona and Whyte Avenue District. It delivers services funded by member levies and grants, including business directory and event listings, BIA grants administration (storefront improvement, graffiti cleaning), beautification programs (murals, floral arrangements, lighting), placemaking projects (permanent street furniture, parklets), and safety initiatives such as the Old Strathcona Clean Team and the OSOC Patrol Team.

Product overview

The Old Strathcona Business Association (OSBA) is a Business Improvement Area (BIA) organization that functions as a destination marketing and community development organization, not a traditional technology company. Its 'products' are programs and services supporting nearly 600 member businesses. The core offerings include: a Business Directory and Events Calendar for visitor engagement; BIA Grants and Programs for member business improvement; Beautification Programs including murals, floral arrangements, and public art; and Placemaking Projects featuring permanent street furniture. Supporting services include the Clean Team (cleaning program), OSOC Patrol Team (safety support), Sign Guidelines, and a monthly Newsletter. The organization does not offer a technology platform or software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Directory Online directory of nearly 600 member businesses and attractions in Old Strathcona, searchable by category (Shop, Service, Dine, Drink, Entertainment) with an interactive map, used by visitors and prospective customers.
• Events Calendar Comprehensive events listing platform showcasing festivals, workshops, and community events in Old Strathcona with calendar subscription options for Google, iCalendar, and Outlook.
• BIA Grants and Programs Grant programs administered through the City of Edmonton including Storefront Improvement Area Grant (up to 50% matching), Storefront Refresh Grant (up to $1,000), and Professional Graffiti Cleaning Program (up to $750) for member businesses.
• Old Strathcona Clean Team (OSCT) Enhanced cleaning program delivered with The Mustard Seed and Capital City Clean Up, providing over 120 hours of monthly cleaning, litter management, and graffiti removal for the district.
• Old Strathcona On-Call (OSOC) Patrol Team Safety support service for non-emergency safety and security concerns in the district, funded by City of Edmonton's Enhanced Services Grant and powered by HireGood.
• Placemaking Projects Public space enhancement projects including permanent street furniture (bike racks, benches, bistro tables, parklets), expanded sidewalks, and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure throughout the district.
• Beautification Programs Visual enhancement initiatives including Bloomin' Boulevards (100+ floral arrangements), public art/murals (60+ murals), painted crosswalks, and lighting improvements.
• Sign Guidelines Design guidelines for signage within the Historical Commercial DC1 Boundary (Provincial Historic Area), regulating signage for properties in the designated historic district.
• Business Recruitment Package Information package for entrepreneurs considering opening a business in Old Strathcona, containing details about the area, business sectors, and opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured over $700,000 in grants and sponsorships for expanded programming and innovative projects
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Mustard SeedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver a decade-long partnership for the Old Strathcona Clean Team. The Mustard Seed employs 8-12 individuals monthly who may face barriers to employment, providing income and employment coaching. In 2025, the team collected nearly 550 bags of trash and conducted over 95 graffiti removals.
• Capital City Clean UpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for graffiti removal grants and support for the Clean Team program. Provides professional graffiti cleaning assistance up to $750 to property owners in Edmonton.
• City of EdmontoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government partner providing BIA designation, tax explainer resources, storefront improvement grants, Enhanced Services Grant for OSOC patrol, and regulatory oversight. OSBA is one of 13 BIAs in Edmonton.
• HireGoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial enterprise partner powering the Old Strathcona On-Call (OSOC) Patrol Team launched September 2025. Provides human-centred, trauma-informed support for non-emergency safety and security concerns.
• Neighbourhood Empowerment Team (NET)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Edmonton team that OSBA maintains close relationship with for safety improvements, advocacy, and community safety initiatives.
• Edmonton Police Service (EPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSafety partnership for business community. OSBA helps connect businesses with EPS officers working in their blocks.
• ZocalominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal greenhouse partner providing floral arrangements for the Bloomin' Boulevards project, bringing 100+ fresh floral arrangements to the commercial district each Spring and Fall.
• VignettesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal design partner supporting the design and manufacturing portion of the $250,000 street furniture project.
• Forge 53minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal manufacturing partner supporting design and manufacturing portion of the permanent street furniture project.
• Mural MassiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMural organization partnered with OSBA to add art to walls throughout District Whyte, contributing to the district's 70+ murals.
• Edmonton Mural FestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMural festival partnered with OSBA for public art installations in the district.
• Cory Christopher DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative studio partnered for Winter Whyte art bomb installations, transforming public spaces with seasonal decorations.
• City of Edmonton (Arts and Culture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for painted crosswalks, pride crosswalks, and public street art installations. City paints and installs art while OSBA works with artists on designs.
• Fringe TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheatre partner in Edmonton's Theatre District, hosting performances and supporting arts programming in Old Strathcona.
• Rapid Fire TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImprov theatre company operating in the Backstage Theatre inside the ATB Financial Arts Barns, offering shows and workshops.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gastown Business Improvement Society: Vancouver BIA managing one of Canada's most prominent historic retail districts with levy-funded placemaking, marketing, and member services. Highly comparable given the shared historic-area designation angle and tourism-driven mandate.
• Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area: Toronto luxury retail BIA funding beautification, marketing campaigns, and district events through member levies. Comparable as a high-traffic, destination-retail BIA with strong placemaking emphasis and tiered member-engagement programming.
• Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area: One of Canada's largest urban BIAs, levying businesses along the Yonge Street corridor in Toronto to fund streetscape improvements, marketing, safety, and member services. Closely comparable in mandate, levy-based revenue model, and placemaking focus, though at significantly larger scale than OSBA.
• Robson Street Business Association: Vancouver BIA representing retailers along Robson Street with levy-funded marketing, streetscape, and safety initiatives. Comparable as a high-foot-traffic Canadian urban BIA focused on retail district vitality.
• 124 Street Business Association: Edmonton's Gallery Walk BIA, representing merchants along 124 Street with levy-funded marketing, events, and beautification. A direct local peer operating under the same City of Edmonton BIA framework as OSBA, with comparable scale and member-business profile.
• Kingsway Business Improvement Area: Edmonton BIA along the Kingsway corridor funding district marketing, streetscape improvements, and member services through member levies. Comparable as one of Edmonton's other 13 BIAs with the same governance and funding structure as OSBA.
• Stephen Avenue Village Business Improvement Area: Calgary's pedestrian-mall retail BIA operating on a similar levy-funded mandate of streetscape activation, events, and member advocacy. Directly comparable to OSBA as another Alberta BIA focused on a historic main-street district.

Broad incumbents

• International Downtown Association: North American trade association for downtown and district management organizations, providing best-practice resources, advocacy, and benchmarking for BIAs like OSBA. Comparable as the broader industry body representing the same operating model and policy environment.

Regional players

• Downtown Edmonton Community Revitalization Levy: Edmonton's downtown-focused revitalization entity funding streetscape and public-realm improvements through municipal levy mechanisms. Comparable as a same-city district revitalization operator competing for the same pool of municipal placemaking capital and member engagement.
• Tourism Edmonton: Edmonton's destination marketing organization promoting the city to visitors and conventions. Comparable in the destination-marketing layer of OSBA's mandate (events, social content, visitor attraction) and a likely co-funder on tourism initiatives touching the Old Strathcona district.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/oldstrathcona
• Instagraminstagram.com/oldstrathcona
• TikToktiktok.com/@oldstrathcona
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/old-strathcona-business-association-the

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Old Strathcona Business Association