Business is bleak: Urgent calls to resuscitate downtown Victoria

The annual report from the Downtown Vancouver Business Association is calling for urgent action from all three levels of government.

It’s not pretty, but it’s predictable.

The Downtown Victoria Business Association’s annual report is highlighting myriad issues in the core of B.C.’s capital city, finding hundreds of business owners are interested in setting up shop elsewhere.

Of the 627 business owners who responded to a DVBA survey, roughly 300 – or 48 per cent of respondents – said they’d consider closing if they weren’t tied to a lease.

“Businesses are in a difficult situation and are no longer able to wait for long-term solutions,” DVBA executive director Jeff Bray said during a press conference on Wednesday.

“This really serves as a wake-up call for all three levels of government to take immediate action.”

The challenges raised in the annual report are crime, homelessness, and parking. That won’t come as a surprise to many, as downtown businesses have been flagging those issues for years.

Oh Sugar, a candy shop on lower Johnson Street, is one of the businesses considering bidding downtown adieu.

“Post-pandemic, we’ve noticed a lot more… street disorder, crime, mental health issues,” Oh Sugar co-owner Keith Johnson said.

“It doesn’t necessarily make financial sense to keep operating in the downtown core with just so much activity happening that’s in a negative perspective.”

When it comes to cash, about 39 per cent of DVBA survey respondents reported a decline in their net profits. Roughly 27 per cent of respondents saw an improved economic performance and 21 per cent had no change.

Possible solutions in the works

The DVBA wants the province to provide immediate access to addictions and mental health treatment, potentially using portable trailers as temporary service spaces.

“Get on with not only saving our downtowns but saving lives and providing humane care for people who are clearly struggling on our streets,” Bray said.

B.C.’s Health Ministry said it’s working urgently to expand mental health and addictions care.

The DVBA is advocating for involuntary care for those who are extremely sick, which the province announced it was expanding last fall. It has opened 10 involuntary care beds at the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre and another 18 at Alouette Homes, a mental health facility in Maple Ridge.

Also on the DVBA’s wish list: increased funding for the justice system.

“(A) small number of people (are) committing the majority of the crimes. If they were actually held in custody, you would see an immediate reduction in crime,” Bray said.

Last month, the province launched a public safety program aimed at reducing robbery, shoplifting, vandalism, and other non-violent street crimes in high-traffic business areas. The province also noted it has increased the budget for the B.C. Prosecution Service and has funnelled money toward court service enhancements.

As for the city’s part in all of this, the DVBA is asking for an increased police presence downtown. It also wants to see sidewalk bylaws enforced more strictly, preventing people from camping along city streets.

Victoria’s mayor said the city is launching a community safety plan soon, which will address both of those concerns.

“I’m not particularly surprised and I’m actually pleased to see that we’re sort of harmonious on the fact that we do want to have additional policing,” Marianne Alto said.

“Although I’m not at liberty to go into the details of it yet, you would not be surprised to see some similar concepts in the community safety plan when it’s finally released.”

The bright side

Eleven per cent of downtown storefronts are vacant, up from about 3 per cent in 2019, the DVBA says. That doesn’t mean downtown is without new additions.

The owners of the Little Plant Shop moved their business from Edmonton to downtown Victoria a year-and-a-half ago.

“We’re still building our following here, so we’ve been making money, but we could definitely be busier. Now that the locals are discovering us, it’s picking up,” co-owner Eric Gibson told CTV Vancouver Island.

He and his partner were drawn to the core because they wanted to be surrounded by local shops and take advantage of foot traffic. Much of that traffic comes from tourists – an industry that’s been thriving in recent months.

Depending on the day, Gibson sees between 20 to 200 customers come into the store on Johnson and Broad Street.

“If there were more free parking days, I think we would see more local traffic,” he said.

Still, he’s optimistic about the future of the business.

“There is a lot of support so far. I think everybody here… loves plants and we have a lot of unusual plants and our expertise kind of sets us apart from the other shops,” he said.