Vancouver business owners plead for help amid Broadway subway construction

Business owners along Broadway who’ve seen profits tank during construction of the new subway are demanding compensation.

Dozens of business owners in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood held a town hall Monday to ask the province for financial support, due to ongoing construction from the Broadway subway line expansion.

In January, a traffic detour will be in place for about four months near Broadway and Main Street as crews work to rebuild the route where a subway extension is under construction.

The province said this approach is aimed at minimizing the length of time the work will affect residents, businesses and commuters in the area.

Lack of accessible parking

For over five years, business owners along the Broadway corridor, say they have struggled due to road detours, and construction blocking customer parking.

At the town hall, Tara Shayegun, the owner of Uphoria Yoga on East Broadway, became emotional as she recounted the challenges her business has faced from the provincial project.

“Our sales have dropped,” she said.

“Children are still wanting to do yoga, but how can they get to the studio? There’s no access for them, for the parents to drive.”

Shayegun’s husband has picked up a second job, a trend that some of the small business owners at Monday’s meeting said they also had to do.

‘I don’t want to go bankrupt’

Ron McGillivray, the owner of Fable Diner, only steps from the subway construction, said he had to sell his home.

“We’re renting right now and using that money to stay afloat,” he said.

“With the next five months coming up and possibly another two years, I don’t know, I don’t want to go bankrupt.”

He said in the last three years, the restaurant is down about 45,000 guests per year.

“It’s a challenge to make money in this industry as it is,” he said.

“But when you factor in, you know, down 45 per cent in your guest count. It’s just, it’s difficult.”

‘We’re not asking for a handout’

McGillivray said he’d like to see the province provide an interest-free bridge loan for those impacted by the project.

“We’re not asking for a handout,” he said.

“We’re not asking for anything. I just want an opportunity to stay in business and be there when the SkyTrain comes.”

The ministers of housing, transportation, finance and jobs were invited to the town hall, but none of them showed up.

CTV News asked why no one attended, but was instead pointed to a press conference earlier that day where Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth spoke to the request from business owners.

“In terms of compensation and grants, that is not something that any government in this province has done on infrastructure projects,” Farnworth said.

‘This just isn’t fair’

While provincial ministers were absent, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and some city councillors did attend the event.

Sim said he could relate to the frustrations faced by many in the community, as the flagship location of one of his businesses, Rosemary Rocksalt at Main and Broadway, was expropriated to build the subway.

“The reason I have energy around what’s going on right now is this just isn’t fair,” he said.

“The rug has been pulled from local businesses that are in this area.”

Sim said he believed the province should step in and support the local owners with loans.

“I think it’s incumbent upon them to make sure that they take care of you, just like they would take care of a contractor that’s working on the subway,” he said.

The Broadway project is scheduled to open in fall 2027 and is a 5.7-kilometre extension of the existing Millennium Line SkyTrain service.