The new head of the ByWard Market District Authority wants to add more high-profile events such as Barbegazi to the area, while also focusing on the structures and policies needed to make the organization function effectively. Last month, Victoria Williston was named executive director of the BMDA, concluding a search that’s been ongoing since Zachary […]
Already a Subscriber? Log in
Get Instant Access to This Article
Become an Ottawa Business Journal Insider and get immediate access to all of our Insider-only content and much more.
- Critical Ottawa business news and analysis updated daily.
- Immediate access to all Insider-only content on our website.
- 4 issues per year of the Ottawa Business Journal magazine.
- Special bonus issues like the Ottawa Book of Lists.
- Discounted registration for OBJ’s in-person events.
The new head of the ByWard Market District Authority wants to add more high-profile events such as Barbegazi to the area, while also focusing on the structures and policies needed to make the organization function effectively.
Last month, Victoria Williston was named executive director of the BMDA, concluding a search that’s been ongoing since Zachary Dayler left the position in September.
In an interview with OBJ Monday, Williston said she’ll be looking to bring more events similar to this past weekend’s Barbegazi, a high-energy snowmobile acrobatic performance on York Street, to the Market.
“This is my motto, ‘Do less, better.’ I think that’s where the BMDA is headed. We’re going to have larger, more impactful events, initiatives and programs that are going to make a real splash and will, down the road, help change that public perception of the Market,” she said.
Williston was previously the BMDA’s communications and marketing manager – and technically still is until her replacement is found – so she enters the executive role familiar with the authority’s projects.
She recognizes that events such as Barbegazi help increase foot traffic, which is good for business. That’s why the BMDA will be putting together its largest Canada Day celebration this summer, as well as helping Nuit Blanche, an all-night arts festival, come alive for the first time since 2015.
“I was having lunch at one of the ByWard Market restaurants (this weekend), and it was absolutely jam-packed,” she said.
The past few years have been a tale of two Markets. Long-standing and popular businesses such as Blue Cactus, Saslove’s Meat Market and Cafe Dekcuf, have shuttered and left the Market. Residents have raised the alarm about safety in the area. Other businesses have spoken out about the Market’s parking issues, saying the area lacks spots for customers and cargo vehicles, leading to idling in front of businesses.
At the same time, new businesses have moved into the Market and the area saw its highest foot traffic since 2019 last summer.
Williston said that, as she settles into her new role, she is reaching out to businesses to understand their concerns and work together to overcome challenges.
“It’s not that I’m not aware that there are those challenges. We’re all aware that there are those challenges, but to ignore those challenges or not speak about them, other people are going to fill that void if there’s no communication about it. We don’t want people to fill that void. We want to work with businesses in order to make a ByWard Market that everybody wants.”
The BMDA is working with the city to address some safety-related concerns in the Market, she said.
Late last year, the mayor announced that the city was launching a pilot program that would see $1 million invested over two years to hire private security for the ByWard Market. Williston said work is progressing to create a community safety and well-being committee.
“We will be meeting with various partners from various sectors. We have hoteliers, community associations, social services, law enforcement to create a holistic plan,” Williston said, adding that the program will launch in spring or early summer.
Last summer, the ByWard Market partnered with the city’s nightlife office to launch a “night ambassador” program, a volunteer-led program focused on improving safety on Friday and Saturday nights between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m.
With a report on the program to be released by the end of March, Williston said it was successful enough for the BMDA to bring it back this summer.
“It will be coming back (but) it won’t be the exact (same) program as last year. How it will shake out is still in the works,” she said, adding the revised program will likely work on an extended timeline spanning from early May to the end of October.
