Small business owners say rising costs, construction disruptions and delays are worsening their financial outlook ahead of Vancouver’s Oct. 17 municipal election.
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Vancouver voters are scheduled to choose a city council on Oct. 17, with a provincial election planned for Oct. 24, and several small business owners say neither level of government has been listening to their concerns about rising costs, construction disruptions and bureaucratic delays.
One example is Parmjot Gill, who bought the Little Sister’s Book & Art Emporium in April and said his business was effectively shut down after city workers closed street traffic lanes and sidewalks on both sides of Davie Street outside the store on Sept. 14 without advance notice.
Gill said he raised the issue with city engineering services on site and received what he described as a dismissive response, with customers told to use an alley route while it took several minutes of additional advocating to reopen a sidewalk.
He said the disruptions were still affecting his business, noting that it was profitable when he bought the store but that he expected to lose a “five-digit” amount in September after a drop that he linked to the street closures.
Gill said he wants property tax relief tied to the street disruption, pointing to a property tax bill close to $100,000 annually and that he had prepaid six months of it. He also called for a published construction schedule, coordination so both sides of Davie Street are not closed at the same time, and direct financial grants for affected businesses.
Gill also said he is pressing candidates in the municipal election for concrete commitments rather than “just express sympathy.”
Business owners on Broadway between Main Street and Arbutus Street have raised similar concerns for years, including calls for compensation tied to business disruption from construction related to the Broadway subway project.
B.C. Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth has said the province would not compensate business owners for infrastructure projects, saying there is no precedent in Canada for governments to do so. The record also includes Farnworth saying the province was looking at options when business owners shifted their request toward low-interest “bridge” loans.
Fable Diner & Bar Ltd. owner Ron MacGillivray said the lack of financial help contributed to closing an East Broadway diner at 151 East Broadway on Aug. 23 and later closing another location, Fable Kitchen at 1944 West Fourth Ave., on Sept. 20.
MacGillivray said he continues to operate the Fable Bar & Grill at 755 Richards St., but losses at the other locations, he said, have “ravaged” his finances. He told BIV that he sold his house to stay afloat after closing his East Broadway diner.
Another business owner, Paul Dragan of Reckless Bike Stores, said he has watched bike stores struggle during the past two to three years and said he has also been affected by city processes and fees. Dragan said he closed a store at 1810 Fir St. on Sept. 30, leaving one location at 110 Davie St., and that he believes the city’s rules and bureaucracy are partly responsible for costs.
Dragan said the city charges $250 to retrieve a sandwich-board sign if it is considered to stick out too far, and that he said he also had to pay first and collect it during set hours. He also said business licence fees have risen sharply, recalling that his annual licence fee was $68 and describing a jump to $255 before annual increases of about $15.
He said the cost of a municipal decal for delivery trucks increased from $25 per year to $110 this year, and he argued that user fees are effectively offsetting a lack of a property tax increase for residents in 2026.
The province has also been a focus of concern. Dragan referred to a plan by the NDP government to apply provincial sales tax to some business expenses for professional services and security guards starting Oct. 1, which he said was axed four days before the election call. He said the PST expansion was delayed until after “Trump’s disastrous trade war” ends, as described in the record.
Retail Council of Canada government relations director Greg Wilson said pausing the PST expansion shortly before an election “sounds” like it could return after the election if the government wins again.
Wilson argued that the biggest single change would be lowering property taxes. He said the city’s bundled rate means business owners pay about $12.47 for each $1,000 in taxable value of a business property, which he said is up almost 12 per cent compared with 2025.
Wilson also said permitting remains a major problem for retailers, saying opening or remodeling retail stores can be a “long, time-consuming process” and that businesses can face closures for months while permits are approved.
On labour costs, Wilson said wages and other employer costs have risen in B.C., pointing to the minimum wage reaching $18.25 as of June 1 and to paid sick day requirements and other costs shifted to employers.
The record also notes Wilson’s concern about a possible expansion of WorkSafeBC coverage, saying it would increase costs and likely premiums for businesses, and he urged a pause on additional labour-cost measures.
Finally, Wilson said small businesses want regulation of online marketplaces that he argued can facilitate theft, describing this as an area where many small marketplaces do not follow the U.S. INFORM Act approach referenced in the record, unlike larger platforms.
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