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East London has a rich 130 year history making remarkable contributions to London and the rest of the world. Imperial Oil, a major player in the world's petroleum industry, was born in Old East London when sixteen small oil refineries amalgamated there in 1880. Just east along Dundas Street, the Western Fair has made Queens Park a favourite destination of millions of families since its arrival in Old East London back in 1887. The home of Sir Fredrick Banting, inventor of insulin, also stands as a museum today. Situated in East London, the Old East Village is a community that embraces its rich diversity. A welcoming home to people of numerous backgrounds, our village is truly a global village.
Formed in the 1950’s, the BIA was first known as the “East London Business Association” (ELBA). Years later it was re-named “Centre Town BIA”. Like many urban core neighbourhoods, the Old East Village’s commercial corridor of Dundas Street had been experiencing a steady deterioration, common to many Canadian urban cores since the 1980s. During this period the BIA and the City collaborated on a number of initiatives in order to address the impacts of declining populations and the growth of suburban malls on the commercial district. The initiatives had minimal impact on deteriorating property values, and vacancy rates. In the early 90s, a BIA initiative to address the ongoing deterioration of social and economic infrastructure was initiated. This reinvigoration of the BIA was reflected in a preliminary marketing and promotion initiative that led to the renaming of the BIA, as the Old East Village BIA. In 2001, the Old East Village BIA initiated a partnership with the Ontario Professional Planner’s Institute to create the Old East Village Transition and Revitalization Plan. In 2005, the plan became a Community Improvement Plan for the Old East Village commercial corridor from Dundas and Adelaide to Dundas and Charlotte Streets. In partnership with the City of London and the Old East Village Community Association, the Old East Village BIA is the lead agency for a broad based, community driven revitalization initiative that has resulted in significant reinvestment in the Old East Village commercial corridor. Similar reinvestment in the residential district is occurring under the stewardship of the Old East Village Community Association.
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