Merchants' association chief stepping down

By Dan Hilborn
Published Feb. 7, 2004


The Heights Merchants' Association (HMA) will be looking for a new executive director this month, after Scott Fraser announced that he is leaving at the end of February to do a little travelling.

"It's time for a break," said Fraser. "This is just one of those good things that I can do while I'm still young, I don't have a mortgage and I'd like to see a piece of the world."

Fraser, who first arrived in the neighbourhood just 18 months ago, said he will spend five weeks travelling through Spain before deciding when and where to return to school to complete his studies in either cultural management or museum studies.

But while he's leaving the association, Fraser will definitely be coming back into the neighbourhood.

"I love the Heights; in fact, that was one of the reasons I was attracted to the job - this is such a neat community," he said. "I might not be working here any more, but I'll definitely be doing more of my shopping here. This is such a great place to find what's different."

During his tenure with the HMA, Fraser spent much of his time helping to develop the association's strategic plan. "That's a document we can be proud of that we can use into the future," he said.

Fraser noted that the face of the neighbourhood has changed dramatically over the past several decades, and it's now official that the majority of people who live in the neighbourhood have Asian heritage.

He said the association has taken the necessary steps to help local merchants meet the changing needs of their community. "Working on a strategic plan may not be easy to capture in a sound bite, but those are the sorts of things this association does well," he said. "Things like that make sure this is a continually growing and healthy neighbourhood."