MINTO – The Ontario Business Improvement Area Association (OBIAA) hosted the 2025 BIA Awards Gala on March 31, celebrating the achievements of Ontario’s Business Improvement Areas (BIAs).
This year’s theme, Illuminating Success: Your Night to Shine, recognized BIA’s as the guiding lights of their communities, highlighting their dedication and transformative initiatives.
With a record-breaking 55 submissions, the 2025 BIA Awards honoured BIAs that demonstrated excellence in revitalizing and strengthening their local economies, officials stated.
Judged under OBIAA’s key pillars of downtown revitalization, Advocacy and Governance, Operations, Business Retention, Recruitment and Expansion, Economic Resilience, Streetscaping and Public Realm Improvements, Special Events, Marketing, and Communications, the award winners set new benchmarks for innovation and community impact, stated officials.
The Town of Minto won an Award of Excellence in business retention, recruitment and expansion for the Move to Minto Business Attraction Campaign.
“This award highlights the success of Minto’s proactive approach in attracting new businesses and entrepreneurs, strengthening our local economy, and positioning Minto as an ideal place to live and work,” stated town marketing and community development coordinator Erin Raftis.
“Our campaign has helped bring new talent and investment into our rural community, supporting local businesses and driving economic growth.”
The project aimed to inspire families, businesses and retirees to make the move to Minto to help revitalize the downtowns, and included virtual property renderings and window stickers, a business attraction video, investment packages, a tour the town property open house and more.
All of these actions were to showcase 11 properties in Harriston, Clifford and Palmerston.
“In the end six downtown units were leased or sold because of this initiative,” Raftis said.
The project was made possible with the support of Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affair’s Rural Economic Development funding, as well as supported by the Saugeen Economic Development Corporation, the County of Wellington, the Minto Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Minto.
