Broadway closure

Good morning,

Nate with you today. Like so many people, I’ve been obsessed with Heated Rivalry, both the show itself and the cultural conversation around it. It’s fun, joyful, and sultry, but it also feels deeply personal. 

Growing up as a hockey-crazed boy in Vancouver who dreamed of playing in the NHL one day, I spent a lot of time in locker rooms where gay-bashing was a regular part of conversation. It wasn’t until I stopped trying to play hockey at a high level that I started coming out, selectively to people I could trust, as bisexual. I always chalked up quitting hockey to other things. But looking back, part of it was that I didn’t feel safe fully being myself in spaces where homophobia was the default. 

It’s been incredibly inspiring and emotional, frankly, to hear the accounts of other closeted hockey players who are speaking out because of Heated Rivalry and the conversations the show has sparked. 

While there’s still lots of work to be done to reform mainstream hockey culture, it’s amazing that Vancouver has its own queer hockey association and a team like the Goldeneyes that celebrates and integrates queer players and fans – not just as a one-off theme night, but all the time.

Now, for something completely unrelated, let’s get to today’s story!

— Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout

As always, you can send your tips, leads, and story ideas to Nate at [email protected].

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free. 

WEATHER

Wednesday: 8 🌡️ 6 | 🌧️

Thursday: 9 🌡️ 7 | 🌧️

Friday: 8 🌡️ 6 | 🌧️ 

TRANSPORTATION

As a block of Broadway closes for four months, nearby businesses ask for help

Read the story online.

Since 2021, active construction on the Broadway Subway has marred the high street’s roadway and sidewalks with detours, constrictions, and closures. The years-long construction process means the inconveniences have become a daily and accepted, or at least tolerated, part of the urban landscape. 

But on Monday, that status quo was shaken up with a one-block closure of Broadway between Main and Quebec streets to allow a temporary vehicle deck above the new Mount Pleasant station to be removed and replaced. The road will be closed for the next four months, approximately, according to an October 2025 announcement by the Province of BC’s Ministry of Transportation and Transit.

While it’s just one block, there are cascading effects from closing and rerouting a major arterial route. The road closure is already increasing traffic on the nearby 10th Avenue bike lane and causing delays for buses moving through the detour on 8th Avenue, according to transit and road safety advocacy groups.   

“We saw an immediate decrease in foot traffic and business yesterday, and I think that people are avoiding the area, which was something of concern,” Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Area (BIA) Executive Director Neil Wyles told Vancity Lookout on Tuesday. 

When Vancity Lookout visited the area on the same day, there were at least five “neighbourhood ambassadors” representing the Broadway Subway project positioned on sidewalks at either end of the closure to help pedestrians navigate the new routes around the project site. The ambassadors will be on site during the first week of this closure, and will return during subsequent new phases of the construction process. 

By closing the block for four months, the road replacement can be completed “up to 50 percent faster, minimizing impacts on businesses, residents, and commuters,” according to the Ministry of Transportation and Transit.

Originally scheduled for completion in 2025, the new SkyTrain line is now expected to be in service by the fall of 2027. 

“Once opened, and regardless of the time of day or traffic conditions, the commute from Commercial Broadway Station to Arbutus Street will only take 11 minutes, saving the average commuter over 30 minutes a day or 120 hours per year,” the province said of the project’s benefit. 

Cautious optimism for beleaguered businesses

Businesses in Mount Pleasant have been organizing and speaking out against the impacts of the road closure and the construction period more generally. At a community town hall organized by the Mount Pleasant BIA in December, several business owners spoke about their struggles over the past five years and asked the province to support them through the last phase of the construction period.

Fable Diner owner Ron McGillivray, who operates his restaurant on Broadway between Main and Quebec, said he’s seen a 45% reduction in customers and a 30% drop in gross sales in the past three years compared to 2017-2019. 

McGillivray sold his house to keep the business afloat and works 10-12 hours per day, “basically” seven days a week. “I'm not mad at the province, and I'm not asking for sympathy, but I'm asking for a solution,” he told the assembled crowd. Provincial officials were notably absent at that event, despite being invited, Wyles pointed out. 

But on Tuesday, a day after the road closure came into effect, Wyles, McGillivray, and two other local business owners finally met with Minister of Transportation and Transit Mike Farnworth to discuss provincial support. While the province has ruled out direct compensation, the idea of grants, rebates, or low-interest loans to be repaid after the project is completed were all discussed, Wyles told Vancity Lookout. 

“Minister Farnworth committed to reaching out to his ministerial colleagues to see how this could be achieved, or navigated, or possible at all. So I'm encouraged and take him at his word that he'll be doing this,” Wyles said, though he didn’t receive any commitments from the province on when a support strategy might be decided on. 

“The discussion was productive, and any updates will be shared as soon as they become available,” the Ministry of Transportation and Transit said in a written statement responding to questions from Vancity Lookout. “Consistent with all ministry projects that improve British Columbia’s transportation infrastructure, the Province does not provide compensation for disruptions arising from construction,” they added.

“We stressed there was a sense of urgency, definitely by these businesses,” Wyles said. “So we needed to see the same urgency from Minister Farnworth and the appropriate ministers who he'd be working with.” Those other ministers would likely include Minister of Finance Brenda Bailey and Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Christine Boyle, both of whom represent Vancouver ridings where the Broadway Subway is being built. 

“We've not heard a lot from [Boyle] on this … we really need to see her throw her weight behind this,” Wyles said. 

Given all the unknowns, Wyles didn’t have an exact figure for the monetary support they’re asking the province for, but said the amount would be a “rounding error” in the context of the nearly $3 billion project. 

Not all bad news

Broadway businesses near the nascent Mount Pleasant station, like Fable Diner, Uphoria Yoga, and Portside Interiors, have struggled with various aspects of the construction. But it hasn’t been detrimental to all the businesses in the area. 

“I'm not too worried about it,” Rich Hope, owner and operator of The Belmont Barbershop, told Vancity Lookout. The barbershop sits a half block away from Fable Diner, but Hope said the construction hasn’t had any negative impact on his business. 

“I can't tell you that it's been necessarily difficult. We rely on return customers. I think that hair is important enough to some people that they don't want to not go somewhere just for a slight inconvenience,” Hope explained, adding that he knows his situation doesn’t necessarily match that of his neighbours. 

“I totally respect other businesses' experiences, because running a restaurant or a furniture store or anything else, that's gonna be just totally different from me,” he said.

One shared point for Hope and McGillivray is excitement about what the new transit line will bring to area when it’s finally completed. 

“I'm just more excited about what the prospects are for this street to become, it’s going to be great,” Hope said. “I mean thousands of people bubbling up [from] under the ground, like I'm literally on top of it …  I feel like it will be easy to drum up new business.”

The line is expected to serve an average 140,000 passengers per day, according to the province. For context, the 99 B-Line, which also serves Broadway and is the region's most popular bus route, averaged approximately 29,000 passengers per day in 2024, according to TransLink data. 

“I think the SkyTrain is going to be great for the area,” McGillivray said, but he’s more concerned with financial survival over the next two years. “I just want an opportunity to stay in business and be there when the SkyTrain comes… I don't want to go bankrupt,” before the project is finished, he said. 

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THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

50 years

That’s how long Bamboo Village has operated in Chinatown. Its last day open will be Jan. 31. The family-run business has operated in the same spot at 135 E Pender St. the whole time. [Urbanized]

THE AGENDA

🚧 Speaking of road closures, there’s another upcoming one to keep in mind in the West End near Stanley Park. From February 2 until mid-March, Chilco Street between Haro Street and Stovold Lane will be closed for work on underground utilities as part of the Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel replacement project. [Metro Vancouver]

🗳️ In a sit-down interview with Business in Vancouver, Mayor Ken Sim said he’ll be running for re-election, will try to stop city property tax increases “indefinitely,” and won’t call a referendum on the park board before the election. Political pundit Mo Amir argues that Sim has a good shot at winning re-election in October, given the crowded field of candidates (Pete Fry is expected to announce his mayoral candidacy later this week) and the mayor’s appeal to voters whose main priorities are policing and keeping taxes down. [BIV, The Tyee]

😵‍💫 Speaking of mayors, a recent study in the U.S. found that new mayors generally underestimate the amount of time they need to spend on administrative tasks, rather than being able to focus on delivering campaign priorities or doing work in the community. It’s something worth keeping in mind when listening to a candidate’s platform and for gauging their performance once in office. Read more. [Smart Cities Dive]

🧑‍⚖️ The public hearing into the death of Myles Gray, who died after being severely beaten by Vancouver Police officers, has been put on hold for a month. The pause is due to one of the lawyers in the hearing stepping down after making an obscene remark that was caught on mic. Read more. [Vancouver Sun] 

🚑 The union representing B.C. paramedics will hold a strike vote early next month after negotiations on a new contract with the provincial government reached an impasse. Read more. [CTV] 

🎓 Community programs are often the first to go when universities cut their budgets, but it’s important to recognize how critical these connections are. The Carnegie Learning Centre in the Downtown Eastside is an example of how partnerships between universities and community service providers can change lives. Read more. [The Tyee]

🏈 The B.C. Lions have re-signed star quarterback Nathan Rourke, extending his contract through 2028. Last year, the Victoria native won the CFL’s outstanding player and top Canadian player awards. Read more. [CTV]

🥅 It’s been a nightmare year for the Canucks, and now starting goalie Thatcher Demko has been ruled out for the rest of the season. The often-injured tendy will undergo hip surgery, which the team said is unrelated to the knee injury he had last season. Read more. [Canucks Army]

HOME OF THE WEEK

Are there many two-bedroom homes for under $700,000 in Vancouver? No! But this one fits the bill.

This unit includes two bathrooms with 761 sq feet of living space and a welcoming and well-sized kitchen for its size. But the best part is the location near the Commercial SkyTrain Station.

As we said, it’s one of the more affordable two-bedrooms in the city — see how much.

VANCOUVER ARTS GUIDE

You don’t need to go to the movies to see romance. Metro Theatre’s Barefoot is the perfect story of love, set in 1960s New York. On Feb. 14. 

How many puppet shows have you seen? None? Well, now’s your chance. Michael Harrison, one of the world's top ventriloquists, is putting on a show for you on Jan. 31 at Anvil Theatre in New Westminster. 

Dial M for Murder is the murder mystery you need that isn’t on Netflix — The Arts Club Theatre Company presents the classic from Feb. 5 to Mar. 8.

Emily Carr lovers will be happy to see the Vancouver Art Gallery’s next exhibit starting on Feb. 6,  That Green Ideal: Emily Carr and the Idea of Nature, from a gallery that hosts more of her art than any other place. 

We’re getting close to the final month of two art shows at the Contemporary Art Gallery, the saturated painting beauty of Sojourner Truth Parsons, and a leading figure in film and video, movie-based artist Charles Atlas. 

Sentimental Value is getting Oscar attention for its acting, along with One Battle After Another, both of which are showing over the next week at VIFF. 

Want to see your event here? Submit them to our event calendar. 

FROM THE ARCHIVE

"Online is too crowded": Why postering still matters in Vancouver

Written by Grace Shutti

Pause at the intersection of Commercial Drive and North Grandview Highway and you’ll find a wall with the Little Italy decal, papered with posters in various states: ripped, faded or freshly pasted, advertising music gigs, holiday events, and even an organization seeking egg donors.

Every few weeks, I take out my phone and snap a photo of a specific poster, one that lists bands due to perform in Vancouver. Despite my commitment to following numerous music venues and promoters on social media, the majority of events pop up on my algorithm too late or never. Posters have become one of my go-tos for what to attend in East Vancouver and beyond: a gig, comedy show, film festival, or weekly quiz.

Krista Spurlock, who lives near East Hastings, agreed. “Whether it's a show or something that's happening, I do look at them. Do I always go to it? No, but if it really piques my interest, I will then look it up online.” 

Read the story

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• We’ve updated our recommendation list for Dine Out Vancouver — check it out here. 

• Speaking of food, did you catch our review of this lesser-known, but excellent, Thai restaurant? 

• Yesterday’s sunset was the first one past 5 p.m. this year. [CityNews]

• You can get some great deals on flights out of Vancouver. 

• And in what is a heavy food section today, the team behind Suyo are opening a new restaurant in Chinatown. [Straight]

Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

GAME TIME

I got some feedback that last week’s Wordle wasn’t particularly… satisfying, let’s say, for our avid readers. Hopefully, today’s test will be more enjoyable. Can you work out what it is?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

It’s all hardscaping right now, but the city’s new park at Main and 7th is starting to take shape!