Broadway businesses ‘very anxious’ amid subway construction closure, says BIA head

The closure of a busy block along Vancouver’s East Broadway is raising concerns from a local business association that the disruptions could echo the long-term impacts of the Canada Line construction nearly two decades ago.

Broadway will be closed to all vehicle traffic between Main and Quebec streets for four months starting Monday, as construction continues on the Broadway Subway Project.  

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit says the one-block closure is necessary to rebuild the roadway above the SkyTrain’s future Mount Pleasant Station.

Shops will still be accessible by foot, but the head of the local business improvement association says owners already frustrated by the delayed project fear the closure could further reduce already dwindling business.

It’s a situation that feels familiar to Vancouver resident Leonard Schein, whose business was affected by the Canada Line construction project about 20 years ago.

“It just brings back all the feelings that myself and all the other merchants on Cambie Street experienced,” said Schein, the former owner of Park Theatre on Cambie. He also served as a director of the Cambie Village Business Association.

Construction of the Canada Line — which connects the Vancouver International Airport to downtown — ran from 2005 to 2008, with months of road repair after its completion.

Schein said the project forced the closure of 39 small Cambie Street businesses from 2nd Avenue to 25th Avenue that couldn’t pay their leases. Other businesses lost money or couldn’t afford to renew their leases, Schein said.

“It’s really important to have good public transportation, but it shouldn’t be at the cost of a small number of people,” he said. “They should be compensated for their losses.”

In 2018, a group of Cambie Street business owners were awarded thousands of dollars as compensation from a class-action lawsuit related to the construction of the Canada Line. 

However, TransLink was successful in an appeal of that ruling, calling for new trials for the businesses involved.

“We haven’t received one penny. And it doesn’t look like we will because they keep on appealing the decisions,” Schein said.

‘Everyone’s very anxious’: BIA director

Neil Wyles, executive director of the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association, said the four-month Broadway closure could create similar hardships.

“Everyone’s very anxious,” he said. “It’s going to create a bit of chaos and a lot of hardship. Businesses are concerned about goods delivery, how is their garbage going to get picked up.”

Since construction began in late 2020 to expand the Millennium Line with a subway through the central Broadway area, many businesses along the route have said they have seen declining sales and delays.

At a townhall last December, several owners asked the province to provide interest-free loans so they could keep their businesses afloat.

Minister of Transportation and Transit Mike Farnworth has previously said that compensation for businesses affected by public works “is not something that any government in this province has done on infrastructure projects.”

WATCH | Broadway block to close for 4 months:

Broadway Subway project will close portion of Vancouver street for months

Some major traffic changes on one of Vancouver’s busiest streets will start in January. A stretch of Broadway between Main and Quebec streets will be closed to vehicle traffic for four months. As Shivani Joshi reports, it’s exacerbating tensions in the neighbourhood as construction on the project drags on.

Wyles said he’s “tired of hearing that no government has ever done this before.” 

“This is a real opportunity for Minister Farnworth to step up and show leadership,” he added.

Wyles said the minister is set to meet with Mount Pleasant business owners Tuesday, which he says marks the first time a transport minister is meeting with the BIA since the project began.

Andy Yan, the director of Simon Fraser University’s City Program, said prolonged shutdowns pose serious risks for small businesses, especially after years of economic stress following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“History doesn’t necessarily repeat itself, but it rhymes,” the urban planning expert said, referring to the Canada Line disruptions.  

“We need these projects, but yet at the same time, we also need these small businesses. We also need to have a conducive business environment that does understand the impacts of these disruptions.”

The $2.83-billion, province-led project was supposed to be completed last year but has been delayed until at least the fall of 2027. 

Once completed, the 5.7-kilometre extension of the SkyTrain’s Millennium Line will include six new underground stations.