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Resources to Support People Experiencing Homelessness
There are many small steps one can take to offer support to those experiencing homelessness in our community. The City of Vancouver has developed a resource page with information on actions you can take in different circumstances. It is always important to check in with the person you are concerned about in a safe and compassionate manner to see if they want help, and from there you can use the resources below to assist.
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To learn more about sanitation-related services offered by the City of Vancouver and the Strathcona BIA check out this blog post.
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Strathcona Tax Empowerment Program
At the beginning of the year, commercial property owners across the city are issued a notice of property assessment. This is the value BC Assessment Authority places on your property based on market value and its highest and best potential use.
The Strathcona BIA has noted a dramatic increase in property values for 2019 and we’re taking action to support our members in the face of rising commercial property tax and its implications. Read on to learn what we’re doing, why we’re doing it and next steps.
Action
After much consideration, the Strathcona BIA Board of Directors has decided to commission a commercial tax agent, Paul Sullivan of Burgess, Cawley, Sullivan & Associates Ltd., to review all SBIA member properties.
This means every member of the SBIA benefits from a professional legal opinion regarding their 2019 commercial property assessment. The agent will then determine if a member has merit or grounds to appeal their assessment ahead of the January 31st deadline. If you are a property recommended for appeal, it will automatically be filed on your behalf. If you’ve already initiated an appeal, our action will not negatively impact it.
Our commercial tax agent, Paul Sullivan, draws from many different data sources and considerable experience to arrive at his recommendations. There is no guarantee our agent will recommend your property for appeal.
Properties with Grounds for Appeal
If an appeal is filed on your behalf, we’ll contact you with the information you need should you wish to proceed with your appeal process after January 31st including:
- The opportunity to learn more about what an appeal could mean for your property, business or organization
- The opportunity to engage Burgess, Cawley, Sullivan & Associates Ltd. or a commercial tax agent of your choice to represent you through the appeal process
- The decision to drop the appeal if it doesn’t serve you
- The decision to take no action therefore allowing the appeal to expire after March 15, 2019
All Members
The SBIA will attempt to reach all members the week of January 28th, in advance of the January 31st appeal deadline, with the results of the SBIA-wide property assessment review. If an appeal is not recommended for your address, and you disagree, you can still file your own appeal by going to bcassessment.ca
Both commercial property owners and commercial property tenants have a right to appeal their assessment.
Benefits
Per the board’s decision, the SBIA is absorbing the cost of $100 per property which includes the benefit of a SBIA-wide review, the agent’s opinion, a final report on Strathcona commercial properties, and the filing of the recommended appeals to the Property Assessment Review Panel. Normally, the cost to initiate a review for an individual property would be higher. However, the SBIA is in a unique position to leverage the scale of our membership for a lower rate, benefiting every business, organization and property across our community.
Next Steps
As members, you will hear from the SBIA regarding this issue and opportunity including:
- An email before January 31st to members containing the results of our commercial tax agent’s final report
- Members with merit or grounds for an appeal will hear more immediately from the SBIA in the coming weeks regarding next steps
- An email and direct mail in Spring, 2019, to all members summarizing our findings and hopefully our success through this collective appeal process
If you’ve never received an email from us before you may not be on our list. To sign up from the SBIA newsletter, please visit our homepage at www.strathconabia.com or email us at info@strathconabia.com.
If you have any questions or concerns about this process, don’t hesitate to reach out.
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Call for Artists – Hastings Urban Tree Nursery
Our concrete planters need a refresh!
About the Hastings Urban Tree Nursery
Four years ago we helped launch the Hastings Urban Tree Nursery (HUTN), a joint project with Hastings Crossing BIA to bring some greenery and beauty to East Hastings. We installed a series of concrete planters housing young trees, that have grown under the care of local businesses and organizations. Additional HUTN stewardship is provided by local social enterprise, Mission Possible Maintenance. Local artists were commissioned to paint unique murals on the planters.
What we are looking for
We’ve loved our first round of HUTN murals from 2014, but 10 of our planters are in need of a refresh. We’re inviting proposals from artists to re-paint our planters with marvelous new murals.
We would love to see works that engage with local community, heritage, culture, and natural elements. The works should enliven and enrich the Hastings corridor, while reflecting the values of the local community and the Strathcona BIA.
Examples of previous selected works:
The Details
Issue date: August 7th, 2018
Submission deadline: August 27th, 2018 by 5pm
Eligibility Requirements
This call is open to artists that reside in the Vancouver area. Indigenous artists and artists with ties to Strathcona are encouraged to apply. Artists who have previously completed works for this project are welcome to apply again. Artists must be able to complete the work before October 2018.
Planters and Associated Budgets
The area to be painted on each planter is approximately 113″ by 36″ (w X h)
Five artists will be chosen and each artist will be commissioned to paint the planters on one city block. Each selected artist will receive a base stipend of $400, plus an additional $200 for each planter painted. The blocks and program participants are as follows:
- 300 E Hastings Block, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users – 2 planters ($800 allocated)
- 400 E Hastings Block, Vancouver Native Health Society – 1 planter ($600 allocated)
- 500 E Hastings Block, Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House – 2 planters ($800 allocated)
- 600 E Hastings Block, Mission Possible – 2 Planters ($800 allocated)
- 700 E Hastings Block, Mikado Martial Arts, Pure Design Inc, Carscadden Stokes McDonald Architects – 3 planters ( $1000 allocated)
The SBIA will provide paint materials up to a maximum of $150 per planter. After painting, planters will be coated with a clear product to protect against graffiti damage.
The SBIA will work with the City of Vancouver to obtain any necessary permissions for selected mural proposals.
A selection committee will liaise with participating businesses and organizations to make the final selections by the beginning of September.
Submission Guidelines
- Submit one proposed design for a planter painting (width to height ratio is approximately 3:1).
- Submit an Artist Statement that introduces your work and the proposal submitted
- Submit up to 4 numbered portfolio images of your work
- Submit your resume
- Include your contact information, including e-mail and phone number
Submit your proposal online using our Google submission form: Submit a proposal here!
You can also submit a proposal by mail or in person at the SBIA office (address below). Clearly distinguish the proposed planter design from portfolio images submitted. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you wish to have your images returned.
Mail to:
1220 East Hastings St
Vancouver BC
V6A 1S6
We look forward to seeing your submissions!
Read MoreCreating community-serving retail and micro-enterprises in Chinese society buildings
Creating community-serving retail and micro-enterprises in Chinese society buildings
Increased development in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighbourhood creates pressure on existing retail and small businesses. Rising land and rent prices – and the general scarcity of affordable commercial spaces – threaten their sustainability while new commercial functions cater mostly to a far more affluent demographic and are detached from the community’s cultural heritage. This loss of cultural identity is particularly apparent in Chinatown and Strathcona. At the same time, there are many street-facing underutilized buildings in these areas that could provide far greater benefit to the community.
Joji Kumagai of the Strathcona BIA, Wilco van Bemmel of Walas Concepts and June Chow of the Youth Collaborative for Chinatown, have recently taken the initiative for a project to create community-serving retail in underutilized Chinese society buildings. Our project will create opportunities for affordable retail and micro-enterprises that serve the community, strengthen the local culture with functions that fit the community fabric and cultural identity, provide inclusive employment opportunities and improve the public realm by activating storefronts and streets.
The City of Vancouver has awarded a DTES capital grant for phase 1 of our project. In this first phase, we search for potential locations, assess retail and service gaps, build partnerships with Chinese societies
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SBIA Renewal
Successful Renewal
The Strathcona BIA Renewal process has concluded. On March 8, 2017 City Council approved the renewal term of seven years through 2024 and the funding cap.
During the various consultation sessions members identified many key priorities such as beautification initiatives and public perception of the area, as well as wanting to see continued investment in safety, property maintenance and cleaning programs.
Now that the process has wrapped up we can look ahead and begin evaluating and implementing additional programs such as:
- Beautification projects that could include public art pieces like installations, sculptures, murals, upgraded lighting etc.
- Pilot program to address and support members with debris on private property including hazardous material.
- Sustainable transportation advocacy plan that incorporates parking, movement of goods and people and curbside uses.
- Implementation of a Community Policing Centre on East Hastings.
- Strengthen our advocacy work at various government levels.
Thank you to all our members for your ongoing support, especially those who take the time to submit feedback and attend working sessions. Your feedback is what shapes the programming.
We look forward to working with, and on your behalf to build a thriving mixed-use, inclusive, and resilient local economy.
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SBIA Open Letter to Vancouver Coastal Health and City Council – Supervised Injection Sites Consultation Process
The SBIA has penned an open letter to Vancouver Coastal Health and City Council regarding recent public consultations spearheaded by Vancouver Coastal Health with respect to the two new supervised injection sites in our community. A copy of the letter is below or click HERE to view our op-ed published in the Vancouver Sun.
Proposed locations for the sites are:
- The new DTES Mental Health and Substance Use Drop-In-Centre at 528 Powell
- The Heatley Integrated Health Centre at 330 Heatley
An open letter to Vancouver City Council and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH)
On September 21st, Vancouver Coastal Health’s Chief Medical Health Officer announced the location of two new proposed supervised injection sites for the Downtown Eastside (DTES), both of which are slated to open in early 2017 in Strathcona. As the representative body of 450 businesses, the Strathcona Business Improvement Association (SBIA) welcomes the opportunity for meaningful consultation on this important matter, because what our community comprising 9,000 residents and 7,000 employees has been afforded to-date borders on shameful.
With three open houses scheduled in the middle of the work day, during the middle of the week, we gather that “official” consultation on this matter is now considered complete. This raises concern for us, not to mention the broader question as to whether this is the type of process Vancouverites can expect from Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) when proposing supervised injection sites in other neighbourhoods.
In a hurry to prepare applications in response to a grave increase in overdose deaths throughout the city, VCH raced through the required process. Only a handful of the business owners and residents we work with were aware of the VCH-led open houses or had an opportunity to attend the sessions and provide input. The session I attended had less than twelve participants present.
The SBIA supports supervised injection sites and recognizes the need for these facilities, but they represent just one pillar of an overarching strategy. What is not clear at this juncture is what additional resources will be provided to support these new sites and ensure the safety of those who will use and work in them, as well as Strathcona residents, customers, and business owners who live, work and play in the community where these sites will soon operate.
As the city?s oldest neighbourhood, Strathcona has deep roots in the business community of modern Vancouver, serving as a gateway to the city for those arriving by road, sea and rail since the mid 1800?s. A “starter neighbourhood” historically, Strathcona remains a vibrant mix of industrial businesses and single family homes despite a noticeable lack of traditional amenities such as grocery stores, parks, neighbourhood pharmacies and walk-in health clinics, express transit service, sports fields, public pools or ice rinks, a community police centre, or even a post office.
Members of the SBIA are proud to be part of the DTES. However, ongoing public health issues like overdose related deaths in the area have prompted the need for renewed and meaningful dialogue with Vancouver?s policy makers on our urgent resourcing needs. Rubber stamping policies that address one issue, albeit a critical one, will not solve the broader problems communities will encounter, and could easily create new ones.
Strathcona business owners already cite safety as a primary concern due to an increase in homelessness, open substance use, and often, misinformation about the issues at hand. Currently, the Vancouver Police Department?s DTES BEAT Patrol ends at Gore Street, the border of Strathcona, but there were no indications at the VCH open houses that additional resources will be directed to the help the VPD extend their patrol into Strathcona, which experiences the same issues that are prevalent a few blocks away.
Supervised injection sites cannot exist in a silo, removed from the broader community fabric, especially amongst the mix of businesses and homes bordering the two new sites. In order to truly move the dial on issues that affect all Vancouver neighbourhoods, we need to work together – government, business, residents and advocates – to develop holistic approaches that address the health challenges we currently face. This begins with up-front, open and collaborative stakeholder engagement to ensure the community understands the importance and impact of supervised injection sites, and continues with a multipronged approach to both harm reduction and safety.
The Strathcona Business Improvement Association welcomes the opportunity to host a working session with members of Vancouver City Council, Vancouver Coastal Health and any business owner, resident, or stakeholder that wishes to build a better city.
We hope you will be in touch.
Sincerely,
Joji Kumagai
Executive Director
Strathcona Business Improvement Association
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Holiday Social 2015 Recap
On December 9th, SBIA members and friends reflected on and celebrated the year at Pat’s Pub. The social continues to grow with over 90 people attending this year. Guests enjoyed fabulous food & drinks and wonderful door prizes provided by members and vendors.
We would like to thank our vendors for the event Floral & Hardy Edible Plants, Leona’s Florist, Pat’s Pub and Savoury Chef.
A special thanks to the following members for providing door prizes for the Social:
604 Records
Boardroom Ecoapparel
Ken Diamond
Postmark Brewing
Railtown Cafe
Recycling Alternative
Savoury Chef
Securiguard
Sunrise Markets
Sunrise Soya Foods
Yew Woodshop
Yolks
On behalf of all the staff and directors of the SBIA, thank you for your support and we look forward to continue working on your behalf!
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