Organizer and local business owner Glenn Crawford wants city hall to recognize Bank Street's distinctiveness. (Darren Brown, OBJ)

Leaders in Ottawa's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) community say there's a solid business case behind designating an area of Bank Street as a gay-friendly "village," but city hall and the local BIA have been slow to embrace the idea.

The GLBT community was disappointed last week when the city unveiled beautification plans for portions of Bank Street without any official mention, despite two years of lobbying efforts.

Glenn Crawford, who operates a graphic design studio in Ottawa's unofficial GLBT area in Centretown, said not being included was not a business-savvy move for a city that should be interested in tapping into the "pink dollar" or in retaining a vibrant and diverse nightlife.

It could help in revitalizing an otherwise downtrodden portion of the strip, he said.

"We're not quite sure where the snag has come from," said Mr. Crawford. "We feel it's an area that's sort of struggling. We'll need to work harder to convince them that it's a benefit to everyone."

Some 40 businesses in the area between Nepean and James streets are either GLBT-owned or cater to that community, said Mr. Crawford. Having a portion of Bank designated as an official GLBT zone, complete with city hall-approved street signs, some street furniture and the rainbow GLBT flag, is needed to attract a lucrative demographic to Ottawa.

"Really, outside of that, we haven't asked for a lot," he said. "Something that makes it clearly visible, and an official designation will make it a tourist destination."

But city officials who unveiled redevelopment plans said it wasn't their task to designate parts of the street in any way.

"It's not something we do in a normal reconstruction project," said Luke Foley, an engineer with the city's construction services division. "We do basic streetscaping elements, functional elements . . . inclusive for everybody." A GLBT designation was "too specific," he said.

He said there was "always opportunities" down the road for residents to designate any street in any way they wanted.

"We were told to get in at the beginning," replied Rick Barnes who, along with Mr. Crawford, sat on the street's advisory committee for two years. "That's why we're somewhat disappointed."

Gerry LePage, executive director of the Bank Street Promenade BIA, said that more research had to be taken to determine exactly how many businesses are in favour of spending BIA membership dues for such a project. With a total membership of 600, there would have to be a much higher "critical mass" of businesses in favour of designating the village to make it happen.

"Is there any reason they can't have the rainbow flags outside the shops and in the window displays?" he asked. "My understanding is that that part of the population always wanted to be treated fairly. This is exactly the way we treat everyone else."

Visibility and an official designation will help prevent a drain of Ottawa's "creative class" to Montreal and Toronto, Mr. Crawford said, referring to Toronto professor Richard Florida's theories on urban regeneration.

"These sort of bohemian, artistic, creative people – which includes the GLBT population – essentially drive the (urban) economy and keep people in the city, because they create an exciting nightlife and culture."

Besides that, there's the tourist dollars that GLBT travellers from elsewhere will inject into the local economy, said Mr. Crawford.

"Because we are less likely to be raising children, because we have more disposable income, and because we enjoy culture, nightlife, and travel, it is logical to assume that we are likely to be spending more," he said (see sidebar).

Research shows that Canada's 1.8 million GLBT population spent $9.4 billion worldwide in 2007, according to the Canadian Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Domestically, it was worth $5.4 billion.

So interested is Toronto in tapping into that market that it spent $300,000 last year – 50 per cent more than the year before – to advertise in gay areas of New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and others are all trying similar strategies, from having special GLBT sections on their websites, to teaching hoteliers "gay-friendly" behaviour. Dallas' tourist bureau earned kudos for playing up its GLBT diversity, upstaging rival Texas city Houston. Dallas officials noted gay travellers to their city spent $50 more a day than others, so it's perhaps no wonder.

One poll showed 98 per cent of gay travellers were strongly influenced in their travel destinations by a city's reputation for being "gay friendly." That alone should make it a no-brainer for Bank Street to get a designation, said Mr. Crawford.

Asked if Ottawa Tourism paid attention to such studies, director Jantine Van Kregten said absolutely. Asked if an officially sanctioned area would help in attracting more high-spending tourists, the answer was more nuanced.

"In and of itself, that is not going to be enough to change people's minds in coming here, but it will add to the complement of attractions we have now," she said.

Mr. LePage, however, wants to see more of a grassroots movement than something from the BIA or city hall.

"I'm sure those statistics are accurate, but what that has to do with us, branding such an area – I'm kind of puzzled," he said. The visible GLBT community on Bank Street hasn't grown in years, he said, and doesn't appear to be very organized. "If this is the evolution after four or five years, then I have to turn around and ask, what kind of a commitment have they made to the area?"

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FAST FACTS:

A survey in 2007 found GLBT travelers:

Source: http://www.cglcc.ca/news_pressrelease_20070627.asp

Other research showed that U.S. GLBT travellers:

Source: Community Marketing Inc., 2006