Vancouver business closing due to Broadway subway construction

A Vancouver business on Broadway Street will be shutting its doors for good at the end of the month due to impacts felt by the construction of the new subway line.

Surinder Sangha, owner of a Subway restaurant, says she’ll be closing down because business has been down by more than 75 per cent since the project’s construction began.

She has run her business for more than 13 years.

“During the pandemic, the government gave me some grants but now nothing for more than one and a half years,” she said.

“City do nothing right now, I talked to my accountant to ask about provincial help but they said no help.”

Sangha said she believes the loss of parking and other businesses closing their doors has severely hampered how many customers come in.

To make matters worse for Sangha, she said her landlord wants to increase the rent by more than 50 per cent in March, something she says is not feasible for her business.

Global News reached out to the City of Vancouver on their thoughts on the closing of the Subway restaurant.

“We know the last few years have been a real struggle for local businesses. COVID restrictions and changing work habits in the area definitely have had an impact on the number of people frequenting the busy construction area where the Subway outlet is located,” said Steve Brown, City of Vancouver’s manager of the Transit Integration and Projects branch.

“That’s why we are doing what we can to provide support, such as our online Support Broadway Businesses campaign, and encouraging everyone to continue to visit the businesses along the Broadway corridor.”

He continued, “While the province is taking the lead on this project, we continue to work hard to mitigate construction impacts to Broadway businesses.”

The City of Vancouver has implemented a number of measures to help businesses in the area:

The scheduled completion date for Vancouver’s Broadway subway has been pushed back to early 2026.

by Global News