The Eglinton Way BIA

What The Eglinton Way BIA does

The Eglinton Way BIA is a not-for-profit Business Improvement Area established in 1987 under the City of Toronto Municipal Code, recognized as one of the first BIAs approved by the city. It represents approximately 45 small and medium-sized member businesses operating along a nine-block stretch of Eglinton Avenue West between Oriole Parkway and Chaplin Crescent, at the north end of Toronto's Forest Hill neighbourhood. The organization is governed by a volunteer board of local business owners and supported by a small paid staff (Manager Stefanie Zuccarini and Assistant Coordinator Harlan Hutt), with operations funded primarily through municipal BI assessment levies on commercial properties within the boundary, supplemented by event sponsorship and FedDev Ontario/CoT grants for capital projects.

The BIA delivers a community-facing service portfolio rather than commercial products. Its core offerings are three recurring events (Dream Wheels, an annual vintage car and motorcycle festival with charity proceeds to SickKids Foundation; a weekly Sunday Farmers Market running June-October since 2018; and Artwalk, an annual public art walk) and two public art programs (the Artwalk sculpture initiative targeting 25 installations over five years starting 2019, with 10 installed by 2025; and the Bike Rings Project, which replaces standard city bike rings with OCAD University student designs). It also operates a public business directory, a neighbourhood gift card program redeemable at roughly 45 participating merchants, and a community resources hub. Its technology footprint is limited to a Wix-hosted website and standard social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and X/Twitter.

Its revenue model is a hybrid of compulsory municipal levies on in-boundary commercial property owners, sponsorship for events (Specialty Vehicles Ltd, Golden Mile Chrysler, Hagerty, BMO, blogTO, REV-TV, Post City Magazines for Dream Wheels 2026), grants for public art, and gift card sales to consumers. It does not charge member dues in a traditional sense and does not sell products or services commercially. The go-to-market is community-led: collective marketing, streetscape improvement, event production, and advocacy with the City of Toronto on transit and planning matters, with the explicit objective of driving foot traffic and local economic activity to member merchants rather than capturing direct revenue for the BIA itself.

Name

The Eglinton Way BIA

Legal name

The Eglinton Way BIA

Website

https://theeglintonway.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Eglinton Way BIA is a not-for-profit Business Improvement Area (since 1987) representing roughly 45 small businesses along a nine-block stretch of Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto's Forest Hill neighbourhood, funded by municipal levies and delivering community events (Dream Wheels, Farmers Market, Artwalk), public art programs, a gift card, and a business directory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto, Ontario

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

Revenue model

1. Municipal BI Assessment Levies: The Eglinton Way BIA operates as a non-profit community organization funded primarily through municipal BI assessment levies collected from commercial property owners within the nine-block BIA boundary. Revenue supports streetscape maintenance, public art, events, and BIA administration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Eglinton Way BIA is a not-for-profit Business Improvement Area (BIA) that manages a nine-block stretch of Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto's Forest Hill neighbourhood. It operates annual and recurring community events (Dream Wheels vintage car festival, weekly Farmers Market, Artwalk public art walk), maintains a public art program of sculptures and Bike Rings, runs a gift card program redeemable at approximately 45 local merchants, publishes an online business directory of member businesses, and advocates on streetscape, city, and transit matters on behalf of member businesses.

Product overview

The Eglinton Way BIA is a Business Improvement Area organization (not a technology product company) that provides community services including events, public art programs, a business directory, gift cards, and community resources. The core offerings include Dream Wheels (annual vintage car festival), Farmers Market (weekly Sunday market), Artwalk (public art installation program with 10 installed sculptures), Bike Rings Project (artistic bike ring designs), a Business Directory, Gift Card program, and Community Resources hub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Artwalk: Public art trail initiative featuring sculptures and murals along Eglinton Ave. W.
• Dream Wheels
• Farmers Market
• Bike Rings

Products and services

• Dream Wheels Annual vintage car and motorcycle festival featuring classic cars, hot rods, muscle cars, race cars, motorcycles, live music, food vendors, Best in Show Awards, and Glamour Pin-Up Contest. Proceeds support the SickKids Foundation. Open to the local community and visitors.
• Farmers Market Weekly Sunday market supporting local farms and businesses, featuring fresh goods, handmade crafts, live music, and kids' activities. Held every Sunday June–October at the Green P parking lot on Burnaby Boulevard.
• Artwalk Public art installation program featuring outdoor sculptures along Eglinton Avenue West. Goal to install 25 sculptures, statues, and murals over five years starting in 2019; ten sculptures installed as of 2025.
• Bike Rings Project Initiative to replace standard City of Toronto bike rings with artistic designs by OCAD University students, beautifying the streetscape through collaborative student-led projects.
• Business Directory Online directory showcasing businesses in the Eglinton Way neighbourhood, searchable by name or business type with categories including Food and Drink, Health and Wellness, Retail, Beauty, and Professional Services.
• Gift Cards Neighbourhood gift card program redeemable at approximately 45 participating Eglinton Way merchants including restaurants, spas, retail stores, and services.
• Community Resources Information hub providing resources on resident associations, political offices, emergency services, funding opportunities (Digital Main Street, City of Toronto grants), health and safety information, and crisis support services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dream Wheels 2025 event featured nearly 130 classic and vintage vehicles; the 4th annual Dream Wheels is expected to draw 15,000+ attendees.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 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

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FedDev Ontario (Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFedDev Ontario is a core funder of the Eglinton Way BIA's public art initiatives. It co-funded the Artwalk sculpture program and the Bike Ring artistic street furniture project alongside the City of Toronto, providing essential capital for neighbourhood beautification.
• City of TorontocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Toronto co-funds the Artwalk and Bike Ring public art projects with FedDev and is the governing authority that established and recognizes the Eglinton Way BIA. The BIA works with the City on streetscapes, transit matters, and neighbourhood planning.
• SickKids FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSickKids Foundation is the designated charity partner of the Dream Wheels annual festival. Vehicle registration fees and a portion of event proceeds are donated to SickKids, aligning the event with a credible healthcare cause and providing branding visibility for the foundation.
• OCAD University (OCAD students)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCAD University students designed the artistic bike ring installations for the Bike Ring Project, part of the BIA's broader initiative to beautify the streetscape and support collaborative student-led projects.
• North Toronto SoccerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNorth Toronto Soccer is a vendor exhibitor at the annual Dream Wheels festival, leveraging the event to reach the local community and families.
• Groove School of DanceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGroove School of Dance participates as a vendor at Dream Wheels and the Farmers Market, promoting dance programs to the neighbourhood community.
• Specialty Vehicles LtdminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpecialty Vehicles Ltd is a presenting sponsor of the Dream Wheels 2026 vintage car and motorcycle festival, receiving prominent branding placement alongside the BIA logo.
• Golden Mile ChryslerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGolden Mile Chrysler is a vehicle sponsor for the Dream Wheels 2026 festival, receiving branding and activation space at the event.
• Hagerty (Canada)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHagerty is a car award sponsor for the Dream Wheels festival, providing collector vehicle expertise and brand association with the classic car enthusiast community.
• BMO (Bank of Montreal)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBMO is a Bronze sponsor of Dream Wheels 2026 and operates a branch within the BIA boundary (419 Eglinton Ave W), participating in the festival as a community partner.
• blogTOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerblogTO is a print/media sponsor for Dream Wheels 2026, providing editorial and promotional coverage for the festival to its large Toronto readership.
• REV-TVminorGTM or Marketing PartnerREV-TV is a media sponsor for Dream Wheels 2026, covering the vintage car and motorcycle festival across its automotive media platform.
• Post City MagazinesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPost City Magazines is a print media sponsor for Dream Wheels 2026, providing local magazine coverage to the Toronto market.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Queen Street West BIA: Toronto BIA covering the Queen West commercial corridor. Same non-profit BIA model with member directory, events, and streetscape advocacy — directly comparable peer operating in a similarly walkable, mixed-retail Toronto neighbourhood.
• Yorkville BIA: Toronto BIA covering the Bloor-Yorkville luxury retail district. Same BIA mandate but at much larger scale; useful as an aspirational upper-bound peer showing how a Toronto BIA operates at scale with major events (e.g., Icefest) and brand sponsorships.
• The Kingsway BIA: Toronto BIA covering The Kingsway neighbourhood in Etobicoke. Comparable upscale Toronto neighbourhood BIA with similar events/directory programming — useful peer for understanding performance in an affluent residential catchment.
• Bloor West Village BIA: Toronto BIA covering a commercial stretch of Bloor Street West. Same structure: municipal-levy-funded, volunteer-board governed, runs events and a member business directory to drive local foot traffic — directly comparable organizational model.
• Downtown Yonge BIA: One of the largest Toronto BIAs covering the Yonge Street corridor. Same mandate but at far larger scale; illustrates how a Toronto BIA evolves into a more sophisticated event/sponsorship operation as it grows.
• Roncesvalles Village BIA: Toronto BIA serving the Roncesvalles commercial strip. Same BIA legal structure, member-business directory model, events programming, and streetscape-improvement mandate — directly comparable peer in mandate and scale.
• Bloor Annex BIA: Toronto BIA covering the Bloor-Annex strip near Bloor and Bathurst. Closely comparable in mandate and small-scale structure to The Eglinton Way, with a similar mix of independent retail, restaurants, and services.
• The Danforth BIA: Toronto BIA covering the Greektown section of the Danforth. Same non-profit, levy-funded structure with event programming (e.g., Taste of the Danforth) and member marketing — directly comparable in organizational form.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/intent/follow?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeglintonway.com%2F&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Ebuttonembed%7Ctwterm%5Efollow%7Ctwgr%5EEglintonWay&screen_name=EglintonWay
• Facebookfacebook.com/EglintonWay
• Instagraminstagram.com/EglintonWay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eglinton-way

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Eglinton Way BIA