Debris Pick Up Tag

A Year In Review

A huge part of what we do at the Strathcona BIA is deliver on programs that improve maintenance, cleanliness, sanitation and safety across the district. Our programs have been developed to support the wellbeing of the businesses and people in the district, based on the needs and feedback we hear from members. Helping to keep our streets clean and safe, and buildings graffiti-free are part of our core services to Strathcona BIA members. We contribute to mural restoration and maintenance, and bring vibrancy to the community through funding new mural projects in Strathcona. This past year, we also supported members to make their own exterior property enhancements through our Safe and Welcome grant program to encourage a safer and more welcoming community for all. We continue to advocate for more resources and external sources of funding so that SBIA members alone aren’t being asked to address the cleanliness, sanitation, and graffiti challenges in the area. Some examples include graffiti abatement grants from the City of Vancouver and continued investment and accountability from the City for street cleaning resources.

Here’s the high-level breakdown of impacts we’ve achieved.

4600+ graffiti tags removed

2738 street cleaning hours

7000+ square feet of high-level graffiti removals

1640+ bags of garbage removed

12+ murals maintained

2220+ needles removed

$35,000 in graffiti abatement funding secured

5899 hours dedicated to community safety

46 private property debris pick-ups

40+ safety reports logged each day

Graffiti Removal & Graffiti Removal Pilot Program

Graffiti continues to be a challenge in Strathcona and across the city. Over the last year we saw the volume and size of graffiti increase and upper elevations of buildings and murals being targeted more often. This year we successfully advocated for and received another $35,000 in funding from the City of Vancouver to put towards graffiti abatement for a total of $70,000 over the last two years. With the help of the abatement grant we were able to add additional capacity to our graffiti removal program in May 2022. Working with our graffiti removal program service provider, Goodbye Graffiti, we added more capacity for removals through the summer months, with additional hours dedicated to a Strathcona-specific graffiti removal vehicle. 

Over the last year we removed over 4600 tags and 7000 square feet of high-level tags. In the first month of our pilot program we almost doubled our capacity, removing over 27,000 square feet of graffiti tags, compared to an average of 14,000 square feet of removals the months prior to the pilot. Reported tags are being removed faster which over time can help to deter prolific taggers from targeting our district as frequently. Strathcona BIA members continue to receive unlimited removals of tags 12 feet and under, and all labour, supply and removal costs are covered within the scope of the program, saving time and money for our members! 

Street Cleaning & Private Property Debris Pick-Up

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 1640 bags of litter, and 2220 needles across the entire district over the last year, working over 2738 hours or an average of 52 hours per week. Our teams are here to keep the area clean and support members each day. 

Additional street cleaning funding is provided by the City through the 2022 Street Cleaning Grant Program. For the Downtown Eastside and Strathcona neighbourhoods, this results in additional micro-cleaning shifts each week across the district. This allows the Strathcona BIA to provide more resources to other sanitation programs like our Private Property Debris Pick-up program. We helped complete 46 private property debris pick-ups this last year and make daily reports to VanConnect for debris in lanes and on public property, saving members money in removal fees, plus their valuable time.

Community Safety

Members can call 604-789-4143, seven days a week from 8am to 6pm to reach our community safety team, who dedicated 5899 hours to enhancing safety for SBIA members, customers and community members 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 team currently divides their time between both vehicle patrols and foot patrols, and play a huge role in reporting debris and other maintenance-related issues throughout the district. The team works to keep the area clean and safe and spend their time responding to member calls for service, conducting hotspot checks through the district, assisting with emergency services and reporting debris and graffiti. The data and reports gathered by the team helps us to keep institutional partners accountable, and advocate for additional safety and sanitation resources where needed across the district. We are consistently working toward ensuring our approach to community safety is responsible, valued, and holistic.

Murals: Restoration, Maintenance, and New Projects

We’ve continued to invest in mural restoration and upkeep. We repaired and refreshed over 12 murals this year, and remain invested in ensuring murals in Strathcona are well maintained. We’re also excited to have brought new murals to the community in partnership with Vancouver Mural Festival and local property owners. At 1295 Frances Street, artist Caleb Ellison-Dysart created a mural piece called miskinâhk, an ode to Turtle Island, the name various Indigenous nations have always called “North America” since time immemorial. The artist hopes the mural will serve as inspiration to take care of Turtle Island and all its inhabitants, and to not forget our responsibility to the life around us. In total, four new murals came to Clark Drive this year as part of Vancouver Mural Festival, adding a whole new level of vibrancy to this corridor. In addition, our twelve tree planters in and around East Hastings were officially refreshed with a new mural design titled Sacred Mountains by artist Zac George. We are proud to be a part of supporting more vibrant murals throughout Strathcona, and in particular focusing on uplifting Indigenous artists and dedicating more visual space in Strathcona to their impactful work.

Safe and Welcoming Grant

In July of 2021 we launched the Safe and Welcoming grant, after hearing from members that more investment in environmental safety is a priority. The goal of the program was 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. We approved close to $8000 in matching grants for eight separate projects, which resulted in a total community investment of over $19,000. From facade improvements, to new outdoor patio builds, to new awnings and signage, it was fantastic to see business and property owners take initiative to invest in these improvements with the help of the Safe and Welcoming Grant.