Downtown Businesses in Vancouver, Victoria Decry Desperate Public Safety Situation
- A fire occurred Wednesday at a supportive housing site in Vancouver's Granville Street entertainment district, displacing residents and injuring two people.
- The former Howard Johnson hotel, acquired by the British Columbia government in 2020 to serve as supportive housing, has experienced thousands of emergency responses and ongoing challenges related to public safety.
- Business owners, including nightclub operator Alan Goodall, report severe disruptions such as multiple ceiling collapses, forced closures, and staff layoffs, as local businesses blame the placement of supportive housing for rising crime and disorder.
- Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim urged urgent relocation of supportive housing, saying 'speed is of the essence' and warning of more press conferences if no progress occurs, while the provincial Housing Minister promised support without a clear timeline.
- Business groups in downtown Victoria and Vancouver are raising urgent concerns about public safety and are urging all levels of government to take immediate action, stressing that the worsening situation requires solutions well before a three- to five-year timeframe.
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Commentary In the 1970s, many people said that suburbanization would spell the end of Canada’s downtowns. But that didn’t happen. In cities big and small, business leaders rolled up their sleeves and went to work. “Downtown revitalization” was their rallying cry. The bright, upscale shopping mall was one of the big initiatives that kept Canadians commuting downtown through the 1980s and beyond. But in 2025 there is a darker cloud hanging over Ca…

Downtown businesses in Vancouver, Victoria decry desperate public safety situation
VANCOUVER - Alan Goodall has owned the Aura nightclub in Vancouver's entertainment district for 16 years, and says the business's situation has never been worse.
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