Just as relief came from the reopening of Broadway between Main and Quebec streets, businesses near the Cambie Street intersection are already bracing for new disruptions.
The B.C. Ministry of Transportation says construction of the Millennium Line SkyTrain extension will similarly close down Broadway between Alberta and Cambie streets for an estimated six months starting in July.
The ministry says businesses will remain “fully accessible” as sidewalks will remain open with parking available nearby. As for the exact date, it says the work will follow the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup, and “businesses and commuters will be given two weeks’ notice before work starts.”
Rania Hatz, executive director of the Cambie Village Business Association (CVBA), says the closure recalls bad memories for businesses that dealt with mayhem in the area during the Canada Line construction almost 20 years ago.
“It’s all happening again. Broken promises. Broken promises. We saw what happened. Then we thought we learned some lessons and unfortunately the government didn’t follow through with those lessons,” Hatz told 1130 NewsRadio.
Business owners near the Main Street closure, which began on Jan. 26 and concluded Thursday, say it wreaked havoc on operations and is responsible for deteriorating sales.
Halfway through the process, Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Area (MPBIA) Executive Director Neil Wyles said some storefronts were barely hanging on, and some were forced to close.
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Some within the MPBIA had floated the idea of an interest-free loan from the provincial government to compensate for the delays facing the project.
Following a closed-door meeting with Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth, the province said no money would be doled out.
“Consistent with all ministry projects that improve British Columbia’s transportation infrastructure, the province does not provide compensation for disruptions arising from construction.”
Hatz says it’s not surprising, and it won’t be the end of the disruptions.
“We know that we are just the second level. Next will probably be South Granville. All three of the business areas have been in touch with each other and supportive with our campaigns to access any sort of funds or tax breaks. None of that’s coming. We recognise that we’re stranded,” said Hatz.
“We saw what happened at Mount Pleasant. We’re not expecting anyone to come and rescue us now. It’ll have to be within house and Cambie Village Business Association will put the effort in to try and help these businesses survive, and we hope the public will too.”
Andy Yan, Director of the City Program at SFU, says while the work along Broadway is inconvenient, it’s necessary.
“A lot of this is just maintaining the region and how people get around the region,” said Yan.
“And I think that it brings up a level of activity, of expense, but also of what we have to do to keep people going through Metropolitan Vancouver… It’s inconvenient, but I think that it’s for the betterment of the longterm.”
He agress with Hatz that it’s a shame the provincial government didn’t seem to learn from construction of the Canada Line.
“We still haven’t seemed to have learned how to support the small businesses that get disrupted for a prolonged period of time, which for a lot of these small businesses isn’t survivable.”