VICTORIA, BC: Businesses along Broadway are sounding the alarm as yet another major closure in the long-delayed Broadway Subway Project threatens their survival.

“For years, businesses along Broadway have been left stranded by the NDP government’s inaction while this project drags on,” said Harman Bhangu, Conservative Critic for Transportation. “The NDP’s refusal to offer meaningful relief, while construction delays stretch into their seventh year, is completely unacceptable.

“These businesses are not collateral damage. They are employers, community anchors, and taxpayers who deserve support from the Province, not indifference.”

In 2024, Conservatives committed to targeted relief through a 15% tax reduction for affected Broadway businesses. This was a response to declining sales of up to 50%, multi-year delays, and repeated disruptions that have devastated local operators.

Ryan Mitton, BC Director of Legislative Affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) added, “Nobody should be asked to sacrifice their livelihoods to see the Broadway Subway project come to completion. CFIB has consistently called on all levels of government to mitigate the impacts of their projects on local businesses.

“Our research shows that on average, these businesses lose nearly a quarter of their revenue during major projects. We urge the BC government to act quickly to help these businesses survive and keep our neighbourhoods vibrant.”

“This is exactly the kind of economic mismanagement that kills business confidence and crushes entrepreneurs,” said MLA Gavin Dew, Conservative Critic for Jobs, Economic Development, Innovation & AI. “A responsible government would be proactively stepping up, stabilizing the situation, and protecting the local jobs at stake. The NDP should do everything possible to keep these businesses alive, not leaving them to fend for themselves and take out second mortgages to survive and keep employing people. Instead, the government is absent and asleep at the switch. It’s embarrassing that instead of being helped by the NDP cabinet ministers elected in ridings affected by these issues, it’s the opposition stepping up to flag these issues.”

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