'Nail in the coffin': Broadway road closures could kill struggling businesses, says BIA

The four-month full closure of East Broadway between Quebec and Main streets that begins Jan. 26 will have a devastating impact on businesses that have already endured five years of construction zones.

“This is going to be the nail in the coffin for businesses in the area,” said Neil Wyles, executive director of the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association (BIA). “This was never in the plan. Even businesses that had plans in place for the five years of construction will not survive the additional two years plus a full road closure.”

Wyles is asking the provincial government for help mitigating losses, including interest-free bridge loans to help businesses already struggling after years of disruption.

In October, the province announced Broadway from Main Street to Quebec Street would be fully closed to facilitate the removal of the temporary below-grade bridges, or traffic decks, that were built to keep traffic flowing over the underground construction phase of the subway project.

According to access maps on the Broadway plan website, buses and local traffic will be detoured around the one-block closure using East 8th Avenue. Buses are being rerouted across a paved-over section of a car lot at the northwest corner of Broadway and Quebec.

Although sidewalks will remain open during the vehicle closure, Wyles said access to businesses, services and residences will be “circuitous, and much more challenging.”

“Why a full road closure? Why not a single lane moving in each direction, which was the other option,” said Wyles.

Wyles said there was no consultation with neighbourhood associations or businesses when the decision was made on the full road closure.

The closure will impact several businesses that cater to children, said Wyles, including Goh Ballet, Colourstrings Conservatory of Music on East 8th Avenue and the Sarah MacLachlan School of Music on East 7th.

“We’re losing 50 parking spaces on 8th,” said Wylie, who added that there are safety concerns with the re-routed traffic and inadequate zones for pickups and drop-offs. “It’s going to be a goat rodeo.”

When the plan was announced in late October, Ron MacGillivray, owner of Fable Diner, said he was already facing “borderline bankruptcy,” and had sold his family home to keep his business afloat. “I had to sell my house. Moved, renting now, sold everything,” MacGillivray said. “Every single day for the last three years I’ve been putting money in the place just to keep it open.”

In December 2025, the Mount Pleasant BIA urged the provincial government to provide businesses with emergency financial relief to help mitigate losses during this closure, but at an unrelated press conference that month, B.C. Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth reiterated that his government had always been clear that their policy was clear: no compensation for business disruptions.

“The minister is saying their policy is that they do not compensate for short-term disruptions. We are at five years, plus an additional two years,” said Wylie.

Wylie said there are ways the government could help, with tax relief or grants for the businesses most impacted, but they are not getting any response from the provincial government.

“It’s like banging your head against a brick wall,” said Wylie.

dryan@postmedia.com

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