Changes to Downtown BIA GroupMe Account

Written By Downtown Kingston

The GroupMe App has proven to be a great tool for members to connect with each other and to stay informed on important updates shared by the Downtown Kingston BIA office. To keep things simple and user-friendly, the office will be amalgamating all group chats to live within the main “DKBIA Member Hub”. This means the following changes will be made:

Safe Community Downtown Kingston

The Safe Community group will be shut down permanently by Friday, Sept 4. This group was created and managed by Kingston Police, who are no longer participating in the chats. We will be shutting this group down and will be consolidating all BIA communication into one central channel within the “DKBIA Member Hub” (formerly “Downtown Kingston BIA Member Hub”).

DKBIA Member Hub

The DKBIA Member Hub will be the main GroupMe group for all member communication.

Here are the ways members can use the channel:

  • Member-to-member chatter — "Are you open this long weekend?" / "Great deal on display fixtures at 123 Main"

  • Community safety updates — shoplifting alerts, road closures, anything the group should know in real time

  • BIA updates — biweekly Member Bulletin and announcements from the office

  • Requests for BIA staff assistance — Welcoming Streets, maintenance, or anything else. For example:

  • "A woman is outside my door in distress — I need Welcoming Streets support at 123 Main"

  • "Someone tore open a garbage bag outside my store — can maintenance help?"

  • "I'm not sure who to call but there's a car blocking my driveway"

  • Is there someone that can come visit me? I have a question.

Topics within the DKBIA Member Hub

Having separate chats, known as “Topics” within GroupMe, will help keep chatter organized. Use the following Topics accordingly when possible:

  • Main Chat for general chatter

  • Community Safety for real time important updates like shoplifting alerts, road closures, etc.

  • Street Maintenance for Street Crew requests

  • Welcoming Streets for Welcoming Streets requests

  • Member Bulletin to refer to the latest Member Bulletin newsletters shared from BIA staff.

Learn How to Join GroupMe

Welcoming Streets

GroupMe is just one way to reach staff from the Welcoming Streets team. For immediate assistance, it is best to call or text them directly at 613-583-5008. This line is monitored at the office and outreach can be deployed directly from there.

BIA Office

You can always reach a staff member by calling 613-542-8677 or by emailing hello@downtownkingston.ca. No matter what it is, we’re always here for you.

You can always text or call the Executive Director’s number at 613-661-4661. If available, Marijo will respond and try to assist or she will get back to you when available.







Downtown Kingston
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