CITY NEEDS TO STEP UP TO SAVE SMALL BUSINESSES, SAYS TEAM FOR A LIVABLE VANCOUVER

How has the City followed through on a 2022 motion?

TEAM organizes a "shop-in" at the beleaguered Greens Market on West Broadway in August 2022

VANCOUVER  (Jan. 27, 2026)  –  TEAM for a Livable Vancouver calls for significantly more support for small businesses facing catastrophic loss of customer base due to Skytrain construction along the Broadway Corridor.   

Surviving businesses are reporting declines of up to 45%, a number that could increase even further without City help. The four-month total closure of Broadway between Quebec and Main may be the final nail in the coffin.

It’s too late for the many businesses already closed due to the years-long construction and delays.

And it’s not like nobody saw this coming.

In June, 2022, former TEAM Coun. Colleen Hardwick’s motion carried unanimously:  THAT Council direct Staff to explore options on ways to provide relief to commercial properties affected in the “cut and cover” locations along the Broadway Subway corridor, including relaxation or deferral of business property taxes, revitalization tax exemptions pursuant to 396E of the Vancouver Charter, and developing a program similar to that of the City of Montreal’s Financial assistance program for businesses affected by major construction. Included was a direction that the City push the provincial government to offer support to all merchants affected by Broadway Subway construction. 

“We tried to nip this in the bud,” said Hardwick. Unfortunately, the City has not done enough to insulate local businesses from the massive construction-related disruptions. 

With the NDP government saying that it does not provide compensation for disruptions arising from construction, TEAM says it is up to the City of Vancouver to ensure that we do not lose even more local businesses.