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CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
Downtown businesses in Vancouver, Victoria want changes to supportive housing, citing public safety concerns
Social Sharing Alan Goodall has owned the Aura nightclub in Vancouver's entertainment district for 16 years, and he says the situation for his business has never been worse. "Just in the last month alone, my ceiling has caved in in three different locations, three times," Goodall said of his club, located on the ground floor of the former Howard Johnson hotel on Granville Street. The B.C. government purchased the hotel for supportive housing in 2020, and since then Vancouver fire crews have been called to the site 906 times, including for a fire on Wednesday. Vancouver police also say they've been called to the housing site thousands of times since it was converted. Downtown business problems aren't just affecting Granville Street. Business leaders and others in Vancouver and Victoria say the mounting number of public safety concerns in the downtowns and lack of action from the province is promoting them to rethink their operations. "Just last month, I was closed for 16 days. I had 50 staff members out of work, people who lived paycheque-to-paycheque were given 24 hours notice and they didn't know how they were gonna pay their rent," Goodall said. 'Downtown businesses cannot wait' Two people were injured in this week's fire, and all the residents were displaced overnight in what Vancouver Fire Rescue Services called an accidental blaze caused by a locking butane torch. The devices are commonly used to smoke drugs in crystal or powdered form. Fire services information officer Matthew Trudeau described a challenging scene inside the facility. "Hoarding conditions, challenges with water supply inside the building and people refusing to leave made fire suppression and search operations tough for crews," he said in a statement. The Downtown Victoria Business Association said in its annual report released Wednesday that 48 per cent of the businesses surveyed said they are either unsure or would not renew their leases if it was due soon because of the "current conditions" in the neighbourhood. "Our call is simple: all levels of government must act now," chief executive Jeff Bray said in a statement. "No more studies. No waiting on perfect solutions, " he said. "The data is clear: downtown businesses cannot wait three to five more years." Laura Ballance with the Hospitality Vancouver Association said the business situation is equally dire on Granville Street, and many businesses are blaming the crime and street disorder on the "failed experiment" of placing supportive housing in the area. Ballance said the group has engaged with B.C. Housing for years but the conversations have not created any movement on the situation. Vancouver's fire service said of the more than 900 calls for service at the former hotel, 375 were medical incidents, 43 were fires and 12 were rescue or hazard events. Police said they had 65 calls to the hotel in 2019 before it became supportive housing. Two years later police were asked to attend 971 times, and have gone on to average more than two calls a day. Moving supportive housing Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said he could "feel the frustration and the sadness and the anger of our local businesses" because of what they have to deal with. He said he has spoken with provincial Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon after the fire and Kahlon committed to moving supportive housing out of the entertainment district, although there was no specific timeline. In a statement, Kahlon said the province "will support the city's plan to revitalize the Granville entertainment district." "Seeing another fire is frustrating for businesses, and having people lose access to housing is heartbreaking," Kahlon said. He said supportive housing "works." "We're seeing success in the City of Vancouver's reports that indicate a drop in violence and street crime in the Downtown Eastside with fewer people sheltering in encampments and parks." Sim said the move of supportive housing away from Granville street "can't wait." "Why don't you ask Alan [Goodall] how urgent this is?" Sim said at a news conference Thursday, gesturing to the nightclub owner also in attendance. "So, speed is of the essence, "Sim said. "If there's no movement, we'll have more press conferences like this, and they won't necessarily be initiated by the City of Vancouver." Goodall said he wouldn't wish what happened to his business on anyone. "As a result of the fire that happened yesterday, they're right now tearing out my ceiling again — a ceiling that I kind of consider my own little Sistine Chapel. I spent 200 hours, me personally, putting that ceiling up.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Granville bar owners call for BC Housing inquiry as SRO disorder plagues entertainment district
Firefighters were called to an SRO building on Granville Street on June 10, 2024. A group of hospitality business owners gathered Wednesday morning to say they've had enough of the street disorder and building damage that often forces them to shut their doors and turn away customers in the city's entertainment district. It comes one day after a fire at a single-room occupancy hotel owned by the province caused significant water damage to Aura Nightclub on Granville Street. As firefighters poured water into a top floor unit, it cascaded down six-storeys and tore a hole in the ceiling of the ground-floor business. 'I don't even know if I'm going to be open this weekend. Just last month, I was closed for 16 days,' said Aura owner Alan Goodall. 'I had 50 staff members out of work. People that live paycheque to paycheque were given 24 hours notice, and they didn't know how they were going to pay their rent.' According to Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, there have been 44 fires in the building since 2020, when it was converted from a Howard Johnson Hotel to a BC Housing SRO. 'Just in the last month alone, my ceiling has caved in in three different locations,' said Goodall. Investigators deem the latest fire accidental and say it was caused by a butane torch used for smoking drugs. The business owners say much of the disorder in the entertainment district can be traced back to the two SRO's directly across from each other in the 1100-block of Granville Street. Each also has a nightclub on the ground floor. On Thursday morning, a man smoking something out of a glass pipe in the doorway of Aura startled Mayor Ken Sim and Vancouver Police Chief Department Chief Const. Steve Rai as they made their way inside with Goodall to survey the most recent damage. The Hospitality Vancouver Association is demanding the province take steps to relocate the supportive housing units away from the entertainment district. 'This is not an anti-poverty message. This is a message to get people who need help the proper help,' said Dave Kershaw, who owns Cabana Nightclub on the ground floor of one of the SROs. 'They are not being served being put in SROs on Granville Street. And at the same time, it is destroying our businesses.' Provincial Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon appears to be onboard with moving supportive housing away from Granville Street, but no timeline has been made public. 'We appreciated the city offering to bring three pieces of land to the table so we can build purpose-built supportive housing elsewhere,' said Kahlon. 'We're committed to that, and I confirmed that with the mayor yesterday.' At the former Howard Johnson Hotel on the east side of the street, many of the windows are covered in thick layers of pigeon feces, suggesting the building may not be getting the regular maintenance one would expect of a BC Housing property. 'We at Hospitality Vancouver Association today are calling for a full inquiry related to BC Housing, their funding model, their oversight and their accountability,' said Laura Ballance, a spokesperson with the Hospitality Vancouver Association. The province did not directly respond to questions about whether it would open an investigation into BC Housing, but did provide a statement. 'As BC Housing continues to deliver on government commitments, we must also modernize and adapt to create more efficiencies in how it operates,' it said. 'This work is underway and is supported by government.'
CTV News
27-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
1 injured, others displaced after SRO fire in downtown Vancouver
Crews respond to a fire at an SRO on Granville Street on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. One person has been hospitalized and others have been forced from their homes following a fire at a single-room occupancy property in Vancouver's downtown core. Vancouver Fire Rescue Services said the blaze was reported around 7 a.m. at an SRO on Granville Street between Davie and Helmcken streets. Images posted on social media show firefighters surrounding the building that used to house Wings restaurant on the ground floor. The establishment has been closed for years, and the windows are now boarded up. Capt. Matt Trudeau told CTV News one patient was taken to hospital with third-degree burns, and there was significant damage to the property. One unit sustained heavy smoke and fire damage, while others had to be vacated due to water damage, firefighters said. Trudeau could not confirm how many residents were displaced, but said they are all being provided with alternative accommodations. The building had a working fire alarm and sprinkler system, both of which were activated before crews arrived, authorities said. It's unclear what caused the fire. Trudeau said investigators hope to have more information in the coming days.
CTV News
08-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Vancouver firefighters urge working smoke alarms after group doesn't notice their house is on fire
A file photo shows a firetruck belonging to the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services. (City of Vancouver)
CBC
14-02-2025
- CBC
Vancouver police get additional $5M for Downtown Eastside crime and drugs task force
Social Sharing A new Vancouver police task force that promises to "dismantle organized crime networks and target predatory criminals in the Downtown Eastside" will cost city taxpayers an additional $5 million per year on top of the VPD's $453 million budget for 2025. "Task Force Barrage" is aimed at making the city safer, according to VPD Chief Adam Palmer and Mayor Ken Sim, who unveiled the initiative at a joint news conference on Thursday. "If you talk to [DTES] residents, if you talk to business owners, if you talk to tourists or tour operators, by not making this investment, it is costing us multiple multiples more," said Sim. "And so this is something we want to do." British Columbia to recriminalize use of drugs in public spaces Palmer could not say how many new officers would be deployed but said Task Force Barrage would bring "surge capacity" that will "get results" using officers from other sections like organized crime, in addition to the normal contingent of 60 officers already working in the neighbourhood. "What we're doing now that's different is there's going to be more of an effort put into the longer-term investigations," said Palmer. "There's going to be higher beat visibility and presence down there in the Downtown Eastside." Palmer said an outsized portion of Vancouver's violent crime — 30 per cent — happens in the DTES despite it representing just two per cent of the city's geographical area and three per cent of the population. He said with the rollback of drug decriminalization, police have regained tools to take action against drug traffickers. Task Force Barrage will also integrate with Vancouver Fire Rescue and city bylaw, sanitation and engineering teams "to clear sidewalks and provide community safety for residents, workers and visitors," according to Sim. Watch | Announcement of Tack Force Barrage 2 hours ago Duration 39:00 Palmer said there is no defined end date for Task Force Barrage. "We're going to keep on it strong. We're going after these folks that are victimizing people in our community. We're really confident that the police-criminal side of it, combined with the greater response teams which will deal with liquor disorder, encampment-type issues, it's a great combination," he said. Vancouver city council still has to approve the $5 million for Task Force Barrage, which is certain to happen with the Sim-led ABC super majority on council. The senior officer overseeing policing in the DTES said Task Force Barrage will help residents reclaim their streets and reduce the number of weapons and criminals coming into the area.
