The Downtown New Westminster Business Improvement Association will be considering advocacy initiatives aimed at addressing issues in the neighbourhood.
On March 22, the BIA held a meeting for its members to discuss general concerns in the downtown and the business climate in the neighbourhood. In a statement to the Record, the BIA said 22 members attended the meeting.
“Concerns raised varied from vacant lots to vandalism, to customer comfort and safety. Although there were many different perspectives on issues and ideas for solutions, there were items of commonality that the BIA will be advocating for on behalf of the membership,” said the statement. “The BIA's next steps will be to establish up to three specific advocacy initiatives to include in a new strategic plan and determine the appropriate channels and steps necessary to pursue them.”
According to the BIA, no city staff or politicians were present at the meeting as it was a BIA members-only forum to hear from businesses.
The meeting came on the heels of a much-discussed video posted to Instagram in March by Anita Dunn, owner of Mila + Paige.
In her nine-minute video, Dunn announced she would be closing her shop on Columbia Street (it’s now closed) and blamed the city’s increased parking rates and approval of a homeless shelter in the downtown as factors leading to her store’s closure.
Following Dunn’s announcement, the Record reached out to the BIA for comment. In a statement to the Record, the BIA board executive stated the closure of Mila + Paige was a “huge loss” for the community and for Columbia Street.
“The Downtown New Westminster Business Improvement Association has a vision of a thriving downtown core where businesses can succeed and where locals can have their daily needs met,” said the BIA’s statement. “We believe the City of New Westminster shares this vision, and it is our hope that the conversations the business community is having about the issues raised in Anita Dunn’s video are heard by city council, and we hope when we come forward with suggestions they are listened to and implemented.”
At that time, the BIA said its members would be meeting to further discuss the state of the downtown. The BIA executive said it was looking forward to engaging with the city and council once it has had a chance to listen to its members.
Shelter concerns
In her video, Dunn said a homeless shelter that operates nightly at the old Army & Navy Department Store building has negatively impacted the neighbourhood. She said thefts have “gone through the roof” since that shelter opened up the street from her shop.
“I've had people come in to the store completely covered in feces. There is someone smoking crack on the bench out in front of the store every single day, all day long. I've had staff quit because they're afraid to work here,” she said in her video. “I could go on and on about how that shelter has negatively impacted my business.”
Last October, city council approved a two-year pilot project and strategy aimed at addressing the overlapping crises of homelessness, mental health and substance use. Council approved funding for the three crises response project as part of the city’s 2024 budget.
At its April 8 meeting, council will receive an update about the pilot project. A staff report said the city is hoping to fully launch the pilot project in mid-June or early July.
“Key to the success of the pilot project will be enhanced relations with provincial bodies that have primary responsibility for addressing the three crises, along with the realization of a 24/7 shelter; a health connect and resource centre which will address the needs of the daytime unsheltered population; and additional supportive housing,” said the report.
Speaking to the Record after Dunn posted her video online, Mayor Patrick Johnstone said the city tries to provide as many resources as it can to address issues raised by the business community. He expressed confidence that the $2-million investment in the pilot project would result in positive changes in the downtown.
Purpose responds
Lynda Fletcher-Gordon, acting executive director of the Lower Mainland Purpose Society, said it was a “huge disappointment” to learn the BIA had called a meeting to discuss downtown concerns and not invited the society to attend.
“The disappointment was that, while it appears it is being inferred that the Purpose shelter is somehow responsible for homelessness and open drug use, you did not invite Purpose staff to attend the meeting. Who better to attend the meeting than the people who provide services to people who are homeless?” she wrote. “If we, the community, are going to address our social issues, we must come together to discuss what is happening and what can be done about it. There needs to be collaboration and discussions across the community.”
In her letter, Fletcher-Gordon pointed out that homelessness is increasing throughout British Columbia and will continue to do so given the economic climate. She said the society’s nightly shelter did not create homelessness in New Westminster, as homelessness has long existed in the city.
“The Purpose shelter provides the most basic accommodation to people who are homeless. People who use the shelter include six individuals who leave the shelter to go to work each morning, a mother and daughter, several seniors who can no longer afford the current rental rates, newcomers who came here not knowing how difficult it would be to find housing and others who may use substances or be experiencing mental health conditions,” she wrote. “The majority of people would much prefer to be housed if housing was available to them.”
Fletcher-Gordon said the shelter operates from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., so people must pack up and leave the shelter after having breakfast.
“The majority of them have no place to go,” she said. “The Purpose staff are not their ‘parents’ and have no control over where people go or the actions they take. They may wander the streets and use their drugs in public which can be disturbing to some residents and business owners. Often, they are cold, sick, tired, hungry, have wet feet and, most importantly, feel hopeless.”
Fletcher-Gordon said the drugs have reached new levels of toxicity and are affecting people’s physical and mental health much quicker than ever. She said people use drugs in public in order to stay alive.
Responding to Fletcher-Gordon’s letter, the BIA stated it has shared a positive working relationship with the society through the years, and would continue supporting Purpose and all of the social service providers that are doing very important work in downtown New West.
The BIA said there seemed to be a misunderstanding in the community about what the March 22 forum was about.
“While there may be some folks in the community who infer or explicitly state, ‘that the Purpose shelter is somehow responsible for homelessness and open drug use’, that is not the BIA’s stance,” stated in an email. “The forum on March 22 was a chance for businesses downtown to share the issues they are experiencing so the BIA can compile this information to be used towards collaborated advocacy efforts to the city and province.”
Fletcher-Gordon later told the Record she felt better hearing that the BIA is supportive of the shelter and the work done by Purpose. She said Purpose staff have long recognized that the current situation is not desirable or satisfactory for anyone – not the residents, business people or the folks who are homeless on the street.
If businesses or residents see someone laying in a doorway or on a bench, or openly using drugs, Fletcher-Gordon said they can call Purpose, as it has outreach workers who can be there very quickly. Purpose can be reached at 604-526-2522.
“We have an outreach worker on every day from 7 in the morning until 3:30 p.m. and then another shift starts,” she said. “There is always someone who can visit anywhere in New Westminster to help a business owner.”
