Bloor West Village’s strong sense of community is perhaps best described in their identity as the founders of the Business Improvement Area practices that are now used all over the world. Celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2010, the Bloor West Village BIA launched to address the fading economy in west Toronto in the late 1960s. The completion of the Bloor-Danforth subway line in 1967, coupled with the growing number of shopping malls located on the outskirts of Toronto, created a significant change in Torontonians’ shopping habits. As more options became available, local shopping and traditional shopping habits were abandoned in favour of the now-accessible shopping centres on Toronto’s periphery. In an act of frustration, a group of businessmen from Bloor Street West approached the City, seeking help in the form of legislation that would require businesses within a certain area to pay taxes for the purpose of the revitalization that was desperately needed to win consumers back to the area. Legislation was passed in 1970, and the Bloor West Village Business Improvement Area became
the the first BIA, a business concept that would be adopted the world over.
Today, business is anything but fading in this popular Toronto neighbourhood, where more than 400 vendors, shops, and services are recognized by the Bloor West Village BIA. Featuring popular eateries, specialty stores, bakeries, cafes, bookstores and boutiques, this “small village in a big city” is a shopping destination for Torontonians and tourists alike. Annual events include the July Bloor West Village Festival and the September Toronto Ukrainian Festival, North America’s largest Ukrainian street festival.
Bloor West Village borders onto High Park and the Humber River parks system which also includes the Tommy Thompson Trail. These green space are ideal for a few hours of active day-tripping such as walking, running, bicycling, or ice-skating in the winter. You can even take a small boat from Lake Ontario up the Humber River about as far north as Bloor Street. The Dream in High Park by the Canadian Stage Company presents a different Shakespeare play every year, six days a week, between the end of June to the beginning of September
in an outdoor setting. The Dream operates on a pay-what-you-can basis, and invites people to bring their entire family and a picnic while enjoying classic live theatre.
This area’s European village setting and low crime rate have made it a popular destination for those visiting Toronto, as well as those seeking to live in the area. A family-oriented neighbourhood, most couples in this community have kids; a higher percentage of children between the ages of 0 and 4 in this area as compared to the rest of the city supports the observation that Bloor West Village is increasingly family-friendly. Local schools include Swansea Junior and Senior Public School, Humberside Collegiate Institute, and Western Technical-Commercial School.