With Broadway subway still 2 years away, businesses say they're getting ‘zero' support
As the British Columbia government touts progress on the Broadway subway extension, some Vancouver businesses in the construction zone question if they can hang on for two more years.
The $2.95 billion subway line was originally supposed to be finished in 2025, but is now aiming for a fall 2027 launch.
During a tour on Monday, Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth downplayed concerns from businesses on Broadway who say fencing, no-stopping zones and the removal of parking in the area have driven away customers.
2:57
Sneak peak into massive Broadway SkyTrain project
'There has been a very good relationship between the project and businesses along the line, and we're in contact with them literally on a daily basis,' Farnworth said.
Story continues below advertisement
'There has been a lot of liaising between the project team and the local businesses to ensure the impact is as minimal as possible.'
Not everyone operating businesses on Broadway agrees.
Matthew Greenwood, who owns the Up in Smoke cannabis store at Broadway and Alberta Street, says sales have fallen 40 per cent and he's had to slash his staff from 12 to three people since construction work started.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
He said the loss of parking and the installation of large fences on the street in 2021 and 2022 were to blame.
'That's when people decided it was too difficult to find parking in this neighbourhood and so they decided to go elsewhere. And also foot traffic is down hugely,' he said.
3:13
Broadway subway project parking questions
Greenwood said he's had to shift his business model — sourcing unique and specialized products and moving to a mail-order business model to keep the doors open.
Story continues below advertisement
Support from the city and the province has been minimal, he added.
'They could have said you don't have to pay property taxes because it's a special construction zone and we don't have jurisdiction. They could have waived my business licence fee and that of other merchants. They could have given us a grant to launch our e-commerce service because we lost foot traffic. There are so many things they could have done.
'At this point, any effort would have been welcome, but at this time right now there has been zero effort on the hands of the provincial and municipal government other than prayers and thoughts.'
Ned Wyles, executive director of the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association, said Greenwood is not alone.
'There's 100s of businesses along this line, everyone is different. They've all pivoted, done something different — opened an online store — but at the end of the day, they are all struggling, they are having to pull every trick out of their bag of tricks just to keep the doors open, through no fault of their own,' he said.
4:12
Impact on businesses as Broadway subway extension faces delays
Wyles said the only kind of support businesses have been offered has been small things like free window cleaning. But he said the Ministry of Transportation won't budge on a policy of not offering financial compensation for the effects of construction.
Story continues below advertisement
He said it's particularly frustrating given that Finance Minister Brenda Bailey is the MLA for a portion of the transit line.
'Brenda Bailey, we need some help here,' he said.
'How about giving these guys a tax break? We did it during COVID, the government knows how to do it, I'm not asking you to give them money, I am asking you not to take it away from them.'
The province has blamed project delays on a variety of factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, a five-week concrete strike and unexpected challenges with tunnel boring, but maintains it will hit the current 2027 launch target.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Edmonton homeowners mull restrictive covenants to stop multi-unit builds
Some Edmonton homeowners are trying to take city development into their own hands by limiting where multi-unit homes can be built. They're exploring a legally binding agreement called a restrictive covenant, which goes on a property title and limits how a property is used or developed, even after it is sold to a new owner. Crestwood residents Jasmine Winter and Neil Bourgeois say they're considering putting one on their home. 'This is a last resort for homeowners,' Bourgeois said. The pair moved into their home in the sought-after west end neighbourhood a year and a half ago. They chose the established, upscale area as a quiet place to raise their kids. 'Playgrounds, the community, being able to walk to the school was a really big deal for us,' Winter said. Story continues below advertisement But they say potential development next door could change the neighbourhood feel they bought into. The City of Edmonton website shows the two lots directly north of Winter's and Bourgeois' home have development permits under intake review. Both applications are for the construction of a four-dwelling row house, with two secondary suites and an unenclosed front porch. 'We're just not sure that this is fulfilling the needs of the city's growth and it's definitely not fulfilling the needs of the community,' Bourgeois said. One community group is even trying to put restrictive covenants throughout their historic west-central neighbourhood. The Glenora neighbourhood, which is a century old and one of Edmonton's most sought-after neighbourhoods, was established in the 1910s with a restrictive covenant in place in some sections called the Carruthers Caveat. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy It was named after the businessman who sold the land the city with the caveat that only single family homes and wide expansive lots be allowed, to maintain his vision of Glenora as a prestigious residential area. The covenant was registered on some properties in Glenora, primarily on the south side (see map below.) Now, in a letter posted on its Facebook page, the Glenora Community League is asking for the 'support of fellow property owners to voluntarily agree to place a restrictive covenant on title to their property that would prohibit the construction of these large multifamily (sic.) dwellings' on their land. Story continues below advertisement A Calgary community is taking similar steps. 1:59 Citywide rezoning hits campaign trail as Calgary community explores restrictive covenants Real estate lawyer Shane Parker says this is becoming more common. 'The city has a land-use bylaw and zoning where the city seeks to have input and control over the growth and development,' Parker said. 'A restrictive covenant is on the private side, which seeks to do the same thing.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "A restrictive covenant is on the private side, which seeks to do the same thing." Parker says it will be hard for existing communities like Glenora to get enough coverage to completely shut out multi-unit homes. 'You may have 1,000 titles without the restrictive covenant. To bind those titles, you would need 1,000 people to agree,' Parker said. 'That may be a challenge. There's going to be a variety of opinions.' Story continues below advertisement Andrew Knack is the councillor for the area. He believes the conversation around restrictive covenants represents a tension point for city development. 'Everyone says, don't expand the boundary of our city, but when it comes to what does the change look like on my block, there's going to be a variety of opinions,' Knack said. He hopes potential revisions to the zoning bylaw will alleviate concerns. 'We have to try and find that good middle ground that allows us to address those citywide objectives,' Knack said. A public hearing on a zoning bylaw is set for June 30. 1:50 Edmonton backtracks on eightplex housing in zoning bylaw — With files from Karen Bartko, Global News
Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
Welcome to šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street: Vancouver unveils Musqueam langauge signs
Musqueam leaders and representatives of the City of Vancouver gathered on the city's west side on Friday to unveil the official signage for a street that has been renamed in the First Nation's language. The road, formerly named Trutch Street, now bears the name šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street (pronounced sh-MUS-quee-um-AW-sum), which translates to Musqueamview in English. Signposts bear the English name below the official Musqueam name. 'It's a great feeling to actually see the name being changed, regardless of the political issue, just to see our language out in the public eye where people are living,' Musqueam elder Larry Grant, who manages the band's language and culture department, said. 'It's a really, really heartlifting feeling. Our youth can see it, we can see it, that our language is finally out in the open rather than stifled.' The street was formerly named after Joseph Trutch, B.C.'s first lieutenant governor, whose policies had devastating effects on Indigenous communities. Story continues below advertisement Trutch, who arrived in the province in 1859 and became B.C.'s chief commissioner of land and works in the 1860s, was considered an extreme racist. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim called the new name an 'important milestone' in the city's ongoing journey towards truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. 'The legacy of Joseph Trutch is one of harm. He was openly racist and actively worked to erase the rights of Indigenous peoples,' Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'He dismissed the very existence of Indigenous title, stripped communities of their land, reduced the size of reserves, and helped entrance policies that caused lasting harm with effects we feel to this day. That's not a legacy we should commemorate on a street sign.' 1:58 Vandals put 'Truth' in Trutch Street ahead of official name change Trutch Street runs between 18th and 1st Avenues on the city's west side in the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam people. Story continues below advertisement 'This day has been coming for over 10 years,' Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow told the crowd. Vancouver has gone through three mayors since the Musqueam first brought a request for the street's name to be changed. Council voted unanimously in 2021 to change the street's name, and the Musqueam gifted the new name to the city the following year. Sparrow acknowledged the new characters and the Musqueam hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language may be a challenge for some people at first, but said it will be a process of learning together. 'One lady, when we were in a public hearing, they were upset it was in our language, and they were going to have a hard time pronouncing it. And I invited those individuals down to our celebration we are having at our community today, to come down and learn,' Sparrow said. 'Our ancestors were forced to speak English. They were forced to do away without language. And if we are walking reconciliation, we walk together. And we all have a part to learn our language, and we will get there.'' 2:11 B.C. mayors look to change street named after politician Sir Joseph Trutch As a next step, the city will be installing an audio box and an interpretive sign near šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street at West Point Grey Road that provide more information about the new name, along with Joseph Trutch and why the name change happened. Story continues below advertisement Neighbour Patrick Purcell said the change will mean a bit of work around updating official documents for people who live on the street, but that the move was 'progress.' 'I think it's beautiful, and I think it's overdue … I am glad it shows the respect to Indigenous people they deserve,' he said. Sim said the city could look at renaming other streets in the future as a part of its efforts towards reconciliation.
Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
Manitoba wildfire impacts on First Nations prompt calls for environmental justice
During the past month of wildfires in Manitoba, thousands of people were displaced from Northern First Nations. For climate disasters, this is not unusual. Clayton Thomas-Müller, co-founder of Indigenous Climate Action, says First Nations are often located near both environments vulnerable to climate change and the industries that contribute to it. 'When we look at where Canada's most toxic, climate-wrecking, water-poisoning industries tend to be, they tend to be adjacent to Indigenous communities,' says Thomas-Müller. 'So, when we think about environmental racism in our country and systemic racism, Indigenous peoples are most certainly at the top of impacts.' What's more, First Nations often don't have the firefighters or equipment to respond to a massive blaze. Researchers call this a lack of environmental justice: when people bear the effects of climate change without being meaningfully included in climate response and policy. Story continues below advertisement Deborah McGregor, who leads the Indigenous Environmental Justice project at York University in Toronto, says Indigenous peoples are often inserted into policies, but not at the centre of them. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'They don't seem to be geared toward supporting actual First Nations governance — what I call First Nations climate governance — which is you're going to have agency in terms of how you're going to address climate change in your community and what those impacts might be,' says McGregor. She adds there are plenty of programs and grants that nations can apply for, but there's a desire for deeper collaboration. MacGregor says there should be more initiatives focusing on Indigenous knowledge, such as Parks Canada's advisory circle on cultural burning for forest management. 'You can't manage forests in the way that you did. Indigenous peoples are not even part of forest management in most places in Canada.' Grand Chief Kyra Wilson of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs says as fire seasons start earlier and become more destructive, it is no longer enough to deal with disasters when they happen. Governments must take a more proactive approach, with First Nations at the table. 'We've been saying, we understand the lands and we understand what we need in the communities, and we don't want to be reactive anymore,' says Wilson.
