Newmarket’s spread of downtown shopping vouchers last spring has earned it a community economic development award.
The Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) Conference recognized Newmarket for its Random Acts of Downtown Shopping Campaign. Launched in spring 2022, the campaign reinvested $20,000 of the funds received from the filming of The Handmaid’s Tale in the downtown core toward giving away vouchers for shopping in the area.
“This campaign is a great example of how we took a revenue-generating opportunity and used it to give back to our community while supporting our local businesses,” Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said in a news release.
The town earned the award for the under 100,000 population category. EDCO is a professional organization focused on advancing economic development as a profession and holds an annual awards ceremony to recognize distinct ideas and initiatives.
The campaign featured vouchers ranging from $10 to $125, handed out at recreational programs, trails, the farmers market and various town contests. The campaign was meant to, in part, make up for any impacts on local businesses from the downtown filming for the famed show. The filming took place over a few weeks in March, April and June, with some streets temporarily closed for it.
“The campaign resulted in $1.26 spent at local businesses for every dollar distributed and spread joy to Newmarket residents,” the municipality said.
In total, Newmarket estimated a minimum $200,000 economic impact from the filming, including rentals, fees and accommodations. The town decided to directly invest the funds it received, with $50,000 going to the Main Street District BIA, $20,000 into the campaign and another $30,000 towards events and other economic development initiatives in the downtown.
“As a municipality, we will continue to find unique and innovative ways to continue to deliver programs to improve the economic well-being of Newmarket,” Taylor said.
