The drive to help London's downtown and Old East Village (OEV) businesses through the months streets will be torn up and blocked off for construction has brought the return of a popular city-run rewards program.
Starting Tuesday, core area construction dollars are back.
The program, now in its fourth year, will see coupons in the amount of $5, $10, and $20 handed out to Londoners in an effort to attract them to the two areas - despite the road work. The cash vouchers can then be redeemed at participating businesses until November 30, with the city then reimbursing 100 per cent of the value of each construction dollar back to the business where it was spent.
"This is another year of major construction projects in the core area and our top priorities are mitigating impacts and supporting businesses as we complete essential infrastructure renewal," said Jennie Dann, London's director of construction and infrastructure services. "The project teams work very closely with Downtown London and the Old East Village BIA and together, we partner on various initiatives, such as the core area construction dollars program to promote and support local businesses during construction."
The construction dollars will be awarded through customer giveaways, contests, and promotions. Businesses offering and accepting the promotional money can be identified by orange construction dollar signs in their window. A full list of participating businesses has also been posted on the Downtown London and Old East Village websites.
“Old East Village businesses have wholeheartedly embraced the construction dollars program and our OEV customers are eager to enjoy an extra special outing in OEV while supporting hyper local," OEV BIA Manager Jen Pastorius said in a statement. “Each year the demand for the program grows and therefore this year OEV BIA, during the returning Only in OEV event series we will distribute through Cash Mobs, over $20,000 of construction dollars.”
The construction dollars initiative, funded through the city's core area action plan, was originally launched in the summer of 2020 to provide a needed boost to local businesses forced to close their doors or scale back operations due to the pandemic. Each year since it has returned to help mitigate some of the impacts of construction on businesses. It is expected to contribute more than $90,000 into the local economy by providing added incentive to spend in the downtown and OEV.
Only vouchers marked with the year 2023 will be accepted.
