Author: SBIA

In the lead up to this year’s AGM we are sharing a series of reports with our business community on all that we’ve been up to in service to you, our members. Next up, COVID-19 Recovery and Placemaking.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to challenge our members and the community in diverse and extensive ways. Supporting our members through these challenging times has been the top priority for the Strathcona BIA. The Board has been working to apply a COVID-19 recovery lens to all board decisions and ensure that our programming and services support members through COVID-19 and facilitate recovery efforts. We have also continued to invest in placemaking initiatives in Strathcona to attract people to the area and bring new vibrant spaces that inspire and connect people.

COVID-19 Task Force

At the beginning of the pandemic we were the first BIA to join the COVID-19 Community-Coordinated Response Network, over 40 organizations operating in the Downtown Eastside working together to address the impacts of COVID-19. This group continues to meet and collaborate on ways to support the well-being of the community, expanding their scope of work to address other challenges such as heat wave weather events and the opioid crisis. Showing up as a community partner and building relationships with groups in the community who are working to create a thriving neighbourhood is integral to our success as an organization.

COVID-19 Communications

We’ve increased our direct member communications through COVID-19. We continue providing resources and information on available COVID-19 resources and business supports through our e-newsletter channel and social media channels. When new targeted grants came online to help hard-hit businesses or when new health order regulations were announced, we were quick to share about them with our members immediately, and we’ll continue to do so as long as the pandemic is impacting you and your operations.

COVID-19 Recovery Grant

We launched a COVID-19 Recovery Grant pilot program in September 2020 to support our business and property owners affected by the pandemic. Matching grants up to $1000 were used to help members manage unexpected expenses from COVID-19, attract customers, improve security, and invest in placemaking improvements. We were excited to award $15,620 to 22 Strathcona BIA members across multiple sectors and different sub-districts, for projects ranging from patio installations, to security fence upgrades, to bulk PPE supplies. The matching grants were put towards projects that resulted in a total investment of almost $50,000 in area improvements and recovery supplies.

Safe and Welcoming Grant

Building on the success of the Recovery Grant, in July of this year we launched the Safe and Welcoming Grant. We heard from members in our Safety Survey earlier in the year that more investment in environmental safety is a priority. Specifically, many members felt that improvements in things like lighting, street and crosswalk infrastructure, and more green space will have a large impact on the overall safety of the area. We took the learnings from the COVID-19 Recovery Grant pilot program and created this new grant program to provide members with the funding and flexibility to address their specific needs while also keeping a district-wide perspective. The goal of this program is to help our members make safety and beautification investments that will attract people to the area and create a more safe and welcoming community for all – small changes add up to big impact! Since the launch of the program, seven businesses have applied and are in the process of starting on safety and beautification projects. Applications continue to be accepted here. 

New Murals

We’re excited to have brought several new murals to the Strathcona neighbourhood this year in partnership with Vancouver Mural Festival and local property owners. Artist Sitji Chou created a mural piece called Ripple at Noble on 1001 Venables Street. The artist hopes the waves, lilies, and koi mingling in between will instill a sense of tranquility and whimsy to all who see the mural. Another piece includes Benjamin Stone’s bold new work at Container Brewing, titled No Arrival. A third mural at 603 Powell Street is part of the Black Strathcona Resurgence Project (BSRP). The BSRP is a project to reclaim Black visibility in Strathcona, an area historically populated by Vancouver’s Black community. The BSRP mural titled Watch Over this Child by artist Sasha Mbabazi, is a call to action to take responsibility for the wellbeing of each other. And the Thomas Cannell mural Give It Time, that we sponsored in 2020, has become a standout mural in the district and an East Hastings landmark. Public art has the power to help strengthen the connections between all who share space here, and we are so proud to be a part of supporting more murals for all to enjoy. 

We have also invested in mural restoration and upkeep. Last year, we repaired and refreshed the mural at 812 East Cordova, an amazing colourful mural depicting the Squamish Valley and Stawamus Chief Mountain, among others, and we remain invested in ensuring murals in Strathcona are well maintained.

Adding and Refreshing Tree Planters

The Hastings Urban Tree Planters are an urban greening initiative going since 2014 that responds to the lack of trees along some of the streets in Strathcona. The tree planters bring life to our streetscapes by adding greenery through resilient tree varieties and colour through vibrant murals on the planter exteriors. Over the years, the planters have provided a platform for many emerging artists, and this year we are honoured to dedicate this visual space for an Indigenous artist to create a statement-making impact along East Hastings. Following a selection process with Vancouver Mural Fest, we’re excited that the planter murals are in the process of being refreshed by artist Zac George. The design, selected in part through consultation with participants in the planter program, is called Sacred Mountains and we can’t wait to see it completed soon. We’ll also be adding four new planters to the 800 Block of East Hastings, expanding the total number of tree planters in the community to 16.

In the lead up to this year’s AGM we are sharing a series of reports with our business community on all that we’ve been up to in service to you, our members. Next up, Marketing, Promotions, and Sponsorships!

Last September, after months of engagement and brand strategy development, we launched our new commercial district placebrand for Strathcona. Our brand celebrates all the people and businesses that make Strathcona different and exceptional. Despite the challenges of COVID-19 to bring people together, over this past year we’ve managed to bring our new placebrand to life in the streets and across digital channels. Through storytelling and activations we showcase what our members do to make Strathcona a vibrant and resilient community. Here’s how we’ve been bringing Strathcona to the hearts and minds of people across the Lower Mainland, welcoming everyone to come as they are, whoever they are.

New Website and Directory

We launched a new website that showcases the distinct character of our commercial district and draws people in to discover something different in Strathcona. A comprehensive member directory features all the businesses in Strathcona across our varied sectors. Members can now easily access our program services and information about what we do on behalf of the district. Since launching the website it’s been visited 19,880 times by 6504 unique users.

District Banners

We continue to maintain 400 street pole banners across the district. The current wordmap design of place names on our banners leans into the diversity of the district of Strathcona. The refreshed design and colours bring vibrancy and pride of place to our streets.

#DoDifferent and Member Features

The inspiration behind our #DoDifferent hashtag are the stories of people and businesses in Strathcona doing things in their own unique and unexpected ways. Working with professional photographers and videographers, we’re capturing more original member portraits, behind the scenes photos, and video footage than ever before. We also amplify the content that our business members and community visitors share. We have featured a total of 72 unique Strathcona businesses across our social media channels in the last year. In that time we’ve seen a 56% growth in followers on our Instagram channel. As part of our focus to increase engaging video content, we’ve published two district promotional videos, three business feature videos, and 20 Instagram Reels. Our video content alone has reached 38,733 cumulative views across our social platforms.

Halloween Hop

In October 2020 we held our first ever Halloween Hop in partnership with the Strathcona Community Policing Centre, Strathcona Residents Association, and Raycam Centre. Eleven businesses and organizations in and around the 800 Block of East Hastings took part in this family-friendly trick-or-treat event. Local employees dressed up in fabulous Halloween costumes to safely hand out candy outside their businesses, and event-goers of all ages enjoyed some Halloween family fun.

Dine Strathcona

Our November Dine Strathcona campaign brought together 17 businesses in Strathcona’s hospitality community to showcase the neighbourhood’s vibrant culinary scene while raising funds to provide support for vulnerable individuals in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Participating dining establishments offered a feature dish throughout the two-week event period, with proceeds from each dish ordered donated to the WISH Drop-In Centre. In addition to dining in, Dine Strathcona encouraged people to order take-out and delivery options to accommodate the challenging health order restrictions on restaurants at that time. The campaign was covered by 32 media articles, and earned 9.4 million impressions from traditional media. By working with local food influencers, the social media related posts of the campaign earned 1.21 million impressions. Despite the timing of the health order restrictions, over 640 feature dishes were sold in the two-week time frame, which amounted to approximately $10,000 in cumulative sales.

Gift Big Shop Small

In December, to support our retail sector, we ran a Gift Big Shop Small campaign to support shopping locally for the holiday season. Customers were encouraged to spend $25 or more at three participating locations in order to win a $25 Visa card to support shopping local. Nine Strathcona businesses took part, and many happy customers enjoyed discovering all of Strathcona’s unique offerings for the holidays.

Love Your City

In February, Strathcona joined 15 other neighbourhoods across Vancouver to run the Love Your City Contest, a call to get out, explore our city, and find LOVE in our neighbourhoods. Event-goers could enter the city-wide contest by finding love related murals and installations in each neighbourhood and posting them to their Instagram profile. Plus, in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day we did a daily prize giveaway on our Instagram channel to local businesses and received over 2000 contest entries!

Automotive Sector Promotion

We have over 25 businesses in our community that assist with all types of motor vehicle needs. Our Automotive sector campaign in April highlighted five participating auto-sector businesses and supported them to run in-store and online contests to help engage existing and new customers. The campaign received 364 cumulative contest entries across the five businesses, featured original photography and quotes from sector employees on our social media, and helped solidify why Strathcona is one of the best areas in Vancouver for auto services.

Takeout Strathcona

In an effort to support our restaurant sector when Provincial health restrictions started up again in April and May of 2020, we ran a Takeout Strathcona campaign to encourage people to keep on supporting their favourite Strathcona dining establishments by ordering take-out and delivery. By raffling off gift cards to local restaurants through weekly Instagram contests, we encouraged new customers to discover the amazing dining options we have here. We showcased our favourite takeout items with fun weekly Reels on Instagram that earned over 15,000 impressions across our platforms.

Art Walk Strathcona

Strathcona is home to some of the most notable contemporary art galleries in Vancouver and across the country. In May and June we ran our inaugural Art Walk Strathcona campaign to celebrate our gallery sector. Strathcona’s galleries came together to bring a diverse selection of contemporary art from Indigenous and Canadian artists to the streets on billboards along East Hastings. Art Walk Strathcona invited people to take a self-guided walk to discover the billboard images, and explore the associated exhibitions taking place throughout May and June in Strathcona’s gallery district. In addition to the billboard campaign, we featured participating galleries on our social media channels, and created a transit ad for Art Walk Strathcona that reached communities across the Lower Mainland. Art Walk Strathcona reached over 20,000 users across digital channels.

PATIO

The Temporary Expedited Patio Permit program meant it was a patio season in Vancouver like no other. To amplify the patio dining experience and to encourage customers to dine on patios all summer long, Strathcona BIA joined 15 other districts for the promotional PATIO campaign, which included a city-wide contest to crown the best patios in the city. An online patio map featuring all the patios across Vancouver, including those in Strathcona, was distributed widely by several campaign media partners. People were encouraged to follow along @patiovancouver to enter daily contest opportunities. Over on our own Instagram channel we shared a steady stream of patio pics and videos to highlight the excellent patio options in Strathcona this year.

To learn more about the Temporary Expedited Patio Permit program visit our advocacy report.

Bike to Shop

Strathcona was a community sponsor of HUB Cycling’s Bike to Shop event in August, along with 20 other participating districts across Metro Vancouver. Nine local businesses in our neighbourhood signed up to offer sweet deals and delicious freebies to customers who biked to their shop during the event. To celebrate Bike to Shop in Strathcona we sponsored a Knowledge HUB outside of the Landyachtz Factory store where people could enjoy free basic bike maintenance, complimentary snacks, and giveaways from Strathcona businesses. 2245 people registered for the event, and many of those participants discovered businesses in Strathcona as a result.

Community Sponsorships

Fostering a sustainable and flourishing cultural community is important to us. We continue to provide community sponsorships year over year so that other local organizations serving the economic resilience of the district are supported. For the 2020/2021 fiscal year those included, The Powell Street Festival, Eastside Culture Crawl, Coldest Night of Year, WISH Drop-In Centre, and nəćamat Urban Indigenous Women’s Village of Wellness, a community wellness event for Indigenous women in Strathcona.

In the lead up to this year’s AGM we are sharing a series of reports with our business community on all that we’ve been up to in service to you, our members. Next up, advocacy!

In a year when our member businesses and organizations were navigating the unprecedented impacts and existing challenges made worse by the global pandemic, providing a collective advocacy voice on the wide range of issues impacting our members has never been more important. We’re consistently working with our members, government partners, and industry professionals to move the dial on a wide range of economic, social, and environmental actions for the benefit of our members.

Commercial Taxation

Rising property taxes continue to be one of the greatest challenges facing local businesses and property owners in Strathcona. For the third consecutive year, we held a Property Tax Workshop in January to help members navigate the property assessment appeal process, and a 2021 tool-kit was created to help the membership better understand and navigate property taxes. Many property owners experienced significant jumps in their taxes yet again this year, since despite protests from us and other BIAs, the Province decided not to apply the 70% reduction in School Tax as they did in 2020. We continue to advocate with other BIAs for commercial tax reforms and changes to the Provincial property valuation system and we’re lobbying for legislative change to achieve lower taxation and valuation on existing use, through new tools such as split assessments. 

Sanitation and Graffiti Removal

Through advocacy efforts by the BIA’s, the City approved additional funding for street cleaning programming City-wide, including $2.1 million in funding for the 2021 Street Cleaning Grant Program. We will continue to advocate for street cleaning resources, lane flushing, and debris removal to make sure the district is clean and welcoming for everyone. The City has also invested in animal and human waste removal services, basing this program off a pilot project initiated by the Strathcona BIA. These additional City-provided street cleaning services help offset our service costs, provide more targeted resources, and allow us to support members with more private property debris pick-ups. 

In partnership with other BIA districts across Vancouver we were also able to advocate for more funding to support the challenging rise of graffiti tags across our districts. We received $35,000 from the City of Vancouver for additional graffiti removal services through this advocacy effort. We will continue to raise the impacts graffiti has on our district and members.

To learn more about the impacts of our sanitation programming visit our Safety and Sanitation report.

Temporary Expedited Patio Permit Program

Quick, cheap, and cheerful patios have been a lifeblood for restaurants, cafes, and breweries over the past 18 months. In partnership with all 22 BIAs, we advocated for the creation of this program that allows businesses to apply for a free permit to set up a temporary patio, meaning food-sector businesses could be approved and up and running with a temporary patio in a number of days. Prior to this program this process could take several months of back and forth communications and headaches. To amplify the patio dining experience and to encourage customers to dine on patios all summer long, Strathcona BIA joined 15 other districts for the promotional PATIO campaign, which included a city-wide contest to crown the best patios in the city. Learn more about the campaign in our marketing and promotions report. 

The community has embraced the patios, in particular at breweries, where they weren’t permitted before. We’ve been liaising with our local breweries and the City to make sure they are able to share their insights on how to make the patios permanent moving forward. This decision will be going to City Council in September where we plan to wholeheartedly support this positive impact for the brewery sector. 

In Railtown, we helped navigate and obtain approvals for a Tailgate BBQ activation by Railtown Cafe to happen down the street from their cafe location. The three day event went off without a hitch in July, and it was fabulous to see community members, business members, and employees out in the sun, safely enjoying a delicious outdoor dining experience.

Community-Serving Retail Project

The Community-Serving Retail Project, running since 2017, is a collective initiative between the Strathcona BIA, Dunefield, and Youth Collaborative for Chinatown, with funding provided by the City of Vancouver. It’s mission is to partner with Chinese Benevolent Society Buildings and other non-profits in Strathcona and Chinatown to secure and repurpose currently unused or underused commercial space for affordable, culturally significant retail and businesses that support the community. With over 25 Chinese Benevolent Society buildings in Strathcona, this project has lots of potential in our district, and in the last year we’ve helped advocate for and received $216,725 in City funding for this project. 

Following a first successful pilot in Chinatown with the re-opening of Kam Wai Dim Sum, the project team is now working with the Vancouver Buddhist Temple in Strathcona. They are aiming to create a community-based kitchen in their large building that benefits small food entrepreneurs and supports the Temple’s mission and finances. The first activation has recently started at the Temple, with a small soup and cold-pressed juice business now cooking there for a short time, while also serving the community with food donations and giving workshops on affordable, healthy cooking. We’re excited to see the Temple continue to welcome more community-minded food startups!

Oppenheimer and Strathcona Park

We continue to advocate for our parks and green spaces so that the community can enjoy them. Our advocacy around Oppenheimer Park began back in 2019 when we called for the return of the park to its original purpose as a green and social space. Other calls for action included asking for more support from the City for more access to clean water, public washrooms, and street cleaning resources. When another encampment started in Strathcona Park in mid-2020, we joined an appeal for action along with the Strathcona Residents Association, Produce Row, and Strathcona Community Policing Centre. A phased reopening of both parks has finally happened in 2021, involving collaboration of multiple levels of government, new housing opportunities for vulnerable community members, and community input and advocacy efforts on how best to reimagine the use of these important green spaces.

Drinker’s Lounge Project

In March 2021, in partnership with the City of Vancouver, Portland Hotel Society, VANDU, Vancouver Police and other stakeholders, we worked towards a solution to help address public drinking in front of the Astoria Hotel on East Hastings and at adjacent bus stops. After almost nine months of conflict, difficult conversations, trial and error, meetings with city engineers, and hard advocacy work, a pilot project emerged. The pilot involves a city-sanctioned parklet on Princess Ave where folks can go to drink safely and legally. There are social-service supports on-hand, medical attention on site, and more attention from the City, the VPD, and the SBIA in ensuring that drink activity is monitored, people are supported, and business concerns are addressed. 

Since the launch of the pilot, a sense of community has emerged among people who use the space, and they have developed strong stewardship over the parklet area. Public drinking at the Astoria bus stops did not cease, however due to engagement by community groups and reporting by our Safety team, progress is being made, and we have noticed a stronger presence and support from the VPD when challenges arise at this location. 

This project is a story of unlikely allies and we must continue to work together towards a vision for a safer community.

In the lead up to this year’s AGM we are sharing a series of reports with our business community on all that we’ve been up to in service to you, our members. First up, safety and sanitation!

We remain as  committed as ever to delivering on programs that improve cleanliness and sanitation across the district. Helping to keep our streets clean and safe, and buildings graffiti-free is part of our core services to the Strathcona community. In the past year this has become more challenging, as the district continues to experience rising rates of graffiti. Advocating for more resources and new solutions was an important part of our work on these issues. 

Street Cleaning

We partner with Coast Mental Health, United We Can, and Mission Possible Maintenance to provide street cleaning services in the Strathcona BIA district. These impactful partnerships create inclusive job opportunities for local people in our community. Between all program partners, team members have picked up over 1000+ bags of litter and 2960 needles across the entire district in the last year, working over 2411 hours or an average of 46 hours per week. Our teams are here to keep the area clean and support members each day. 

Clearly, street litter is a big problem. Through advocacy efforts by the BIA’s, City Council approved additional funding for street cleaning programming city-wide, and allocated $2.1 million in funding for the 2021 Street Cleaning Grant Program. For the Downtown Eastside and Strathcona neighbourhoods this has resulted in an additional 18 micro-cleaning shifts per week. This allowed us to shift more resources towards specific areas of the district as well as our Private Property Debris Pick Up program. We helped complete 70 private property debris pick-ups this last year and make daily reports to VanConnect for debris in lanes and on public property, saving members over $10,000 in removal fees, plus their valuable time.

From Strathcona Pilot to City Service

A big point of pride for us this year was supporting the launch of the social enterprise, The Crap Trapper. Initiators Mark and Elwood saw a need in the community and stepped up to provide a valuable bio-waste pick-up service with support from the Strathcona BIA. Before this, no dedicated service existed for human and animal waste pick-up and removal, often leaving businesses on the hook to deal with this tough task on their own. The Strathcona BIA was a key player in identifying this need and called attention to this from the City. Since then, the program has not only expanded, but is now a City-provided and funded service that members can access through 3-1-1. Mark and Elwood joined forces with Mission Possible to continue to deliver the service, and Strathcona is benefitting from patrols, removals, and on-call service. While advocacy for more public washrooms continues, this has been a big win in improving sanitation across the district in 2021.

Graffiti Removal

Members have access to a comprehensive graffiti removal program through our contract with Goodbye Graffiti Vancouver (a Strathcona business!). In the last few years, the overall size of a graffiti tag within the SBIA district has increased by 70%. The number of calls Goodbye Graffiti receives from the SBIA and members for graffiti removal has doubled in the past 1.5 years. Through our program, we have removed 7,386 graffiti tags in the district over the last year. SBIA members receive unlimited removals of tags 12 feet and under. The program also helped to remove 4,595 square feet of high level tags, a new service being offered through the program. It takes Goodbye Graffiti around 30 minutes to remove a tag the size of a small car from a painted surface. For porous surfaces, a graffiti tag the size of a small car takes around 45 min to remove. All labour, supply, and removal costs are covered within the scope of the program. These time and money savings add up for our members! This program also helps prevent City bylaw infractions and potential fees for our property owners and businesses.

In partnership with other BIA districts across Vancouver we successfully advocated for and secured more funding to handle this challenging issue. We received $35,000, one of the highest amounts from the City of Vancouver, for additional graffiti removal services. This funding will enhance our ability to target graffitti and leverage your levy contributions even further.  As always, we also continue to think outside the box on solutions for the rise in graffiti tagging, with initiatives like meaningful mural art with respected local artists, working with the VPD to allocate more preventative resources, and connecting with other community partners to raise the impacts that graffiti has on our members, especially small businesses.

Community Safety

Members can call 604-789-4143, seven days a week from 8am-8pm to reach our safety patrol team who dedicated 6,126 hours to keeping members, customers, and the community safe over the past year. Everyday our compassionate patrol team is on the ground in the district, responding quickly to member needs and connecting with community members. The safety team is our most used program and we are consistently working towards ensuring our approach to community safety is responsible, valued, and holistic. With this in mind, we launched our first annual safety survey this year to better understand how Strathcona BIA members feel about safety in the neighbourhood. Advocacy, Environmental Safety, and Patrols emerged as the priority areas for investment. We received 64 completed surveys, representing 113 businesses and properties across Strathcona. We’re excited to build on this feedback and future engagement to develop a new and strong community safety model for the Strathcona BIA. Stay tuned for updates! 

Advocacy is an enormous part of our work in all of these areas. For more on our advocacy efforts and impacts read our advocacy report. 

Live music and events are back in Strathcona. 

We’re thrilled to see some of our neighbourhood businesses opening up for live music and events again and we want to give you an extensive list of Strathcona’s upcoming special events and live shows. 

In our diverse little community, you can find a plethora of in-person events ranging from DJs, live music, comedy and even a full-on festival this September.

While we recognize that proof of vaccination requirements will begin to take effect on September 13th, we urge readers to consult the Government of BC website for the most up-to-date information before purchasing tickets or heading out to restaurants, pubs and other live events. Make sure to follow COVID-19 health and safety precautions in place at events and establishments. 

Skip ahead to the next section to find a breakdown of some of Strathcona’s weekly live music and larger-scale events happening this month!

Lana Lou’s

lanalous.wixsite.com/lanalous

There’s a reason they call this iconic space the Rock N Roll Eatery. Lana Lou’s is no stranger to the live music scene and has hosted her fair share of local and touring artists. You can always count on Lana cooking up delicious comfort food in the kitchen and a full schedule of artists, comedians and more taking the stage on any given night. 

For an up-to-date schedule of upcoming events visit Lana Lou’s on Facebook.

Luppolo Brewing

luppolobrewing.ca

Luppolo Brewing is a staple for pizza and craft beer in Strathcona and they’ve recently announced that they have added live music back to their roster. Every Wednesday you can catch a rotation of artists from 7 – 9pm while enjoying delicious eats and drinks on their patio! It is recommended to arrive early as seats fill up quickly. 

Visit @Luppolo_brewing on Instagram for performance info and updates.

The Heatley

Heatley.ca

If you’re looking to experience the best of local live bands and DJs look no further than The Heatley. You’ll find a variety of music several times per week with a uniquely curated roster of musicians and Djs setting the vibe. Make sure to order one of their famous burgers while you’re there enjoying the atmosphere, you won’t be disappointed. 

Visit @Theheatley969 on Instagram for updates on their live music and DJ schedule.

Monstercat Compound

monstercat.com/compound

Compound is a FREE one-day outdoor block party, taking place outside Monstercat HQ in Railtown on Saturday, September 18th from 2pm to 9pm. Compound is a celebration of the local Vancouver community, providing a platform for local companies and performers alike.

Featuring two stages of music, art installations, apparel, food and drinks, beer gardens, music education, live art, gaming and more! This is an all ages event, with something for everyone to enjoy.

The dual stage lineup includes Vancouver-based headliners The Funk Hunters, Tony Romera and more.

Vancouver Mural Festival 2021

It’s one of our favourite events of the year and we’re thrilled to see the Vancouver Mural Festival back for their 2021 event. Celebrating creativity, diversity and bringing our communities together through art, VMF has over 60 new murals in the works throughout Vancouver plus live shows, tours, public talks and more. 

Adventure through 11 Vancouver neighbourhoods, including Strathcona, to see the beautiful murals come to life through personal, cultural and historical storytelling. Find daily Mural Tours, Talks and Workshops, and 40+ Live Shows at outdoor, licensed venues!  

We’re excited to welcome several new murals to the Strathcona neighbourhood, including four projects sponsored by the Strathcona BIA. These include Benjamin Stone’s new work at Container Brewing, a mural by Sitji Chou at Noble, the addition of the Black Strathcona Resurgence Project led mural by Sasha Mbabazi near Powell St. and Princess St. plus over a dozen tree-planter murals designed and ready to be painted by Zac George. Public art has the power to help strengthen the connections between all who share space here, and we are so proud to be a part of supporting more public murals for all to enjoy. 

To learn more about Vancouver Mural Festival’s community projects this year, check out: Blanketing The City IV, Black Strathcona Resurgence Project, and Punjabi Market or for an overview of the entire 2021 festival you can visit vanmuralfest.ca. Be sure to download their app for an up-to-date map of murals throughout the city. 

Here’s where you can find new Strathcona Murals.

VMF Map 

Les Amis Du Fromage (843 E Hastings alley)

Artists: Jerry Whitehead and Take5

The work is titled Remember Us. Both artists hope their work will “start community conversations about the path of reconciliation, and develop meaningful relationships in [their] communities” (as shared on this VMF blog).

Container Brewing

Artist: Benjamin Stone 

The piece is titled No Arrival.

Noble (1001 Venables St.) 

Artist: Sitji Chou 

This piece is called Ripple. The mural faces a senior’s home and was created in the hopes to bring joy to the residents who will see it most. The artist hopes the waves, lilies, and koi mingling inbetween will instill a sense of tranquility and whimsy (as shared in this VMF blog).

Black Strathcona Resurgence Project (603 Powell St.)

Photo of mural in progress.

Artist: Sasha Mbabazi

Bike To Shop returns this summer from August 7 – 22nd.

Hub Cycling’s Bike To Shop event is back this summer kicking off on August 7th – 22nd. Local businesses in 20 neighbourhoods across Metro Vancouver are offering free coffee, snacks, sweet discounts, and more to people who visit their shop by bike.

Get on your bike and come join the Bike to Shop movement with us! As always, registration is 100% free. 

Register before July 30 for a chance to win a $50 Compass Card from TransLink so you can explore even more Bike to Shop neighborhoods this summer.

Register here and find the full schedule including all participating businesses here..

Visit these Strathcona businesses during Bike To Shop for great deals and delicious freebies.

Map of Itinerary

VV TAPAS LOUNGE

Free glass of wine or nonalcoholic cocktail with the purchase of food.

HARKEN COFFEE

One free coffee to those who participate and ride to the shop.

CONTAINER BREWING

Free pork crisps, happy hour beer pricing ($2 off full pours), 10% off any take-home orders. Enter a draw to win a $100 gift card.

ENTERPRISING WOMEN MAKING ART (EWMA)

Free coffee/iced tea and/or button. Plus enter to win an original art item from the EWMA Store with each purchase.

LUPPOLO BREWING

15% off pizza with purchase of a beer (DINE IN ONLY),  $10 Margherita with purchase of a 4Pack (TO-GO ONLY).

LIQUIDS AND SOLIDS

Free 10 oz Soup with purchase of a sandwich or an entrée salad.

COASTAL EDEN CAFE

One free baked good with a purchase of any drink. Until sold out.

STRATHCONA BEER

Buy a pint of beer and get an order of our garlic bites for free. While quantities last daily.

LANDYACHTZ

Free air & oil, plus high fives and bike advice all week.

Register at bikehub.ca/biketoshop

Hello, summer!

What better time to take advantage of our beautiful Vancouver weather than to plan a tour through some of Strathcona’s historic and colourful neighborhoods. 

For moments when friends or family visit from out of town or you’re craving to do something a little different without going too far, we have a list of some self-guided and guided tours for you to choose from. Find a few of our favorites below!

Curated Tastes – Gallery Tour

Curated Tastes is Vancouver’s first and only art mediation company that creates fun and engaging tours for anyone looking for something different to do in Vancouver. No previous art knowledge or experience is necessary! 

• Discover 2 art galleries in Strathcona
• Learn about contemporary art
• Learn how to appreciate and talk about art
• Meet curators, artists and gallerists 
• Discover a new face of Strathcona 
• Make new friendships over a sample beer or wine (depending on route) at one of Strathcona’s iconic breweries. 

• Price per person: $ 33 (early bird) / $36 (regular)
• Saturdays 12pm-2pm 
• Social distancing and masks in indoor spaces are recommended
• Groups will be limited to 12 attendees + 1 tour guide

Powell Street Walking Tour

Uncover the hidden history of Vancouver’s pre-war Japanese-Canadian community. 

It is not common knowledge that prior to the Incarceration, Displacement and Dispossession of 1942, the Powell Street corridor was once the home to 8000 Japanese Canadians and over 400 Japanese-owned businesses. Today, there is an abundance of remaining history and architecture that tells the story of a community that thrived in this unique area of Vancouver!

• $10 for the general public | Free under 18 
• Masks and socially distant spacing will be required.
• Groups will be limited to 8 attendees + 1-2 tour guide(s)

Tours can be offered in Japanese. 

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/historic-powell-street-walking-tours-vancouver-bc-tickets-152774682187

Strathcona Mural Tour 

If you’re looking to plan or head out on a spontaneous self-guided mural tour Strathcona is the perfect start. The Strathcona neighbourhood is filled with the city’s second-highest concentration of murals within walking distance of each other, with a few delicious stops on the way. Head East on Cordova St. towards Campbell Ave. to catch some great street art then loop around to Hastings to stop for a cold drink or bite at Strathcona’s favourite The Heatley. 

There are also some special guided tours happening this year as part of the Black Strathcona Resurgence Project (BSRP). The Black Strathcona Tour runs 10am Friday, Saturday, and Sunday every week from Aug.4-22. Discover the BSRP Year 1 murals and the cultural history of the Hogan’s Alley neighbourhood led by Vancouver DeTours guide Alasdair Butcher, BSRP Curator Krystal Paraboo, and a special guest expert from the Black community. Tours are by donation.

Sunday August 22, the BSRP Bike Tour is happening. Jump on your wheels and experience the magic of murals produced by Black artists across the city on a special bike route. There will be multiple group riding slots throughout the day and an opportunity to learn about the history of the Strathcona neighbourhood.

Download the Vancouver Mural Fest app or visit their website for a full map of murals throughout Strathcona and the remainder of the city. 

Brewery Tour

Are you really experiencing Strathcona if you haven’t taken in one of our many breweries? We have you covered. Get your squad together and take a tour to a few (or all) of our fabulous breweries – there are a total of five to choose from! 

To plan your own self-guided tour through Strathcona’s breweries visit our website for a full list of locations 

For a guided tour through Strathcona Brewing and Luppolo Brewery and a few other East Vancouver breweries visit Canadian Craft Tours. 

About the Strathcona Business Improvement Association

The Strathcona Business Improvement Association (SBIA) is a not-for-profit society that plays an important role in business development, marketing, safety, and street enhancement in Vancouver’s historic Strathcona district through innovative programs, sustainability, advocacy, and strong partnerships. We view our work through a community economic development lens, aiming to innovate, explore, and expand beyond the work of a BIA, to support businesses to thrive in our commercial district, and improve the community for all.

The SBIA represents over 840 business and commercial property owners in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and Strathcona neighbourhoods. Spanning 44 city square blocks, the SBIA designated area is roughly bound by Gore Avenue, Clark Drive, Railway Street, and Venables Street. The SBIA is a unique BIA in that over 60% of our members are industrial. Our vision is for Strathcona members to thrive in a mixed-use, inclusive, resilient and prosperous local economy. It is our mission to promote a strong local economy through advocacy, cultivating relationships, supporting business participation in the community, delivering innovative programs and fostering community leaders.

Strathcona is a place for everyone who does things differently. It’s a place that celebrates humanity, expanded worldviews, and challenging preconceived notions. We encourage the people and places that make up our community to maintain their distinct character, while understanding and appreciating what makes each other unique. We believe that everyone has a place in Strathcona, especially those who are unafraid to go against the norm. We embrace and advocate for all who establish their lives, identities and livelihoods here.

Learn more about our mission & vision, and programming.

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