Who We Are & What We Do

What is the Uptown Saint John BIA?

The Uptown Saint John Business Improvement Association is a not-for-profit that represents the interests of 500+ businesses located within a designated geographic boundary. Uptown Saint John Inc was established on May 15th, 1992. Our BIA is governed by a volunteer board of directors from the Uptown BIA business community.

We believe in the importance of unity and love within our diverse community, spanning women, Indigenous peoples, racialized persons, marginalized individuals, those with disabilities, and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BIA’S?

BIA’s exist throughout the Maritimes and worldwide. Click below to read the BIA Charter in New Brunswick; Business Improvement Areas Act, RSNB 2014, c 102

Uptown Saint John BIA Mission

To support and empower businesses in our community to thrive.

Uptown Saint John BIA Vision

Be the standard choice for business.

Uptown Saint John BIA Pillars

We focus on uplifting the Uptown Saint John Business community and area through our pillars; Advocacy, Place-Making, Clean & Safe Streets, Marketing & Promotion.

Advocacy

Supporting our members and initiatives that are important to them.

Uptown Saint John, under the management of a skilled and experienced Board of Directors, has an ever-changing mandate focused on initiatives specific to the needs of our membership.

We take great pride in our partnerships with the Lunch Connection through Chop Chop restaurant week, and the Meter for Change initiative, among others.

We work to enhance the foundation of the community we serve.

Place-Making

Bringing colour and vibrancy to the City’s core through lighting, landscaping, public art, and signage with a focus on animating public spaces.

Uptown Saint John lies in the heart of our charming and historic city. Efforts to beautify happen twelve months of the year with, for example, the purchase of trees, tulips, wildflowers and more to adorn the many flowerbeds peppered throughout the Uptown core.

We make every effort to bring colour and vibrance to the streets of Uptown Saint John through holiday lighting, facade grants, creative banners, year-round tree illumination, and initiatives in cooperation with our member businesses.

Visit Place-Making Uptown Map by clicking here

Clean & Safe Streets

Supporting the City of Saint John’s efforts to keep the Uptown neat, clean, and sanitary with the help of our Clean Crew.

Neat, clean and sanitary. That is how we believe our city should feel, always. Uptown Saint John employs a two-person “Clean Crew” that moves throughout the city to paint, weed, sweep and remove debris, graffiti and more.

Your BIA is proud to have purchased an all-terrain litter vacuum to assist with the safe removal of the finer bits of litter and debris on our city sidewalks.

Our Clean Crew goes above and beyond with the pressure washing of sidewalks, bus stop terminals, and stocking doggie waste bag dispensers for our pet loving residents.

Visit the Clean Crew page by clicking here

Marketing & Promotion

Showcasing the best in dining, retail, and services. Promoting programming and initiatives that make the Uptown the place to be.

Our marketing initiatives help showcase the best of what Uptown Saint John has to offer for dining, shopping and services. Our recurring initiatives include:

Uptown Saint John Gift Card

Uptown VIP Program

Let’s Meet Uptown video series

Uptown in Your Town Delivery Service

Uptown Saint John facilitates a number of exciting initiatives for not just our members, but the patrons they serve. Our signature programming includes:

Uptown Sparkles

Uptown Poutine Fest

Uptown Taco Week

Uptown Burger Week

Uptown Box Art

Chop Chop Restaurant Week

Social Media Policy

Uptown Saint John’s social media channels are dedicated to promoting the area as a whole, in line with our BIA Act, Uptown Saint John Strategic Plan and Pillars. We exclusively use our social media platforms to promote in-house events and to share information about events and activities that support and uplift multiple business sectors in the area.

We strive to ensure that our content is informative, engaging, and aligned with the values of Uptown Saint John as per our strategic plan, pillars, and the BIA Act. We reserve the right to moderate any content that is not in line with our policies, and we encourage our followers to engage with us in a positive and constructive manner.

Click the icon on the map below to filter by category.

Our Team

Nancy Tissington
Executive Director
Nick Crozier
Operations Manager
Tracy Hanson
Special Project Manager
Lea St John
Digital Marketing Manager

Board of Directors

Krista Wetmore
President & Chair
Ian Fogan
Vice-President
Steven Peever
Treasurer & Finance Committee Chair
 Heather Acker
Heather Acker
Marketing Committee Chair
Shelley DeMerchant
Director
David Hickey, City of Saint John Councillor
Director
Rebecca Van Veen
Director
Tim Ryan
Director
Kolawole Oshundiya
Kolawole (Kola) Oshundiya
Director
Glen Hussey
Glen Hussey
Director

Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan will use the pillars to frame actions and support the prioritization of our efforts over the next 3 years.  

Annual Report & Financial Statement

Click to see our 2023 annual report & 2023 audited financial statement.

Press Releases

Click to see Uptown Saint John Inc. press releases