Frustrated Chinatown business owner considers leaving historic Vancouver neighbourhood

From property crimes to smashed storefront windows to defaced cultural landmarks, it’s an understatement to say Vancouver’s Chinatown neighbourhood needs help.

While it may soon get some from City Hall, for one business owner, it may be too little, too late.

Susanna Ng and her husband have owned New Town Bakery and Restaurant along Pender Street between Main and Columbia for 43 years. The 67-year-old has worked in Chinatown for more than five decades and says she has seen a steep decline in the neighbourhood, referring to the ongoing reports of vandalism, tagging, graffiti, and robberies.

Ng says things have gotten so bad over the past 10 years that they’re considering either moving their business or retiring.

“It was nothing like this before. Things are getting worse. I’m sad, I’m frustrated, and I’m hopeless,” she told CityNews. “For me, I really want to give up Chinatown. I can move somewhere else. I don’t have to stay here and suffer.”

Vancouver police say crime in the neighbourhood was up between 2021 and 2022.

“Offences against people are up 19 per cent. Property offences are up 18 per cent — including arsons up 50 per cent, mischief up 17 per cent and commercial break and enters up 20 per cent,” explained Sgt. Steve Addison, noting these figures are based on the boundaries of the neighbourhood laid out by the Chinatown BIA.

Ng says people experiencing homelessness in the area also need the attention of city officials.

“My business opens at 6:30 a.m. and I have to be here because my staff can’t handle [it.] Sometimes [the unhoused] steal, sometimes they come and grab our products and go. I’m like a security guy here.”

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Because of the business’ location, Ng says they have a hard time attracting and retaining staff. She adds her business is down 20 per cent year-over-year, resulting in losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Ng says it seems these days the customers who are consistently coming to her shop are not locals but out-of-town visitors.

“[Locals] try to avoid Chinatown. [Tourists] will come because when they’re in town, they make a special trip to Chinatown,” she said.

While Ng says she’s raised her concerns with the new regime at Vancouver City Hall, she tells CityNews she feels not much has been done to address the issues.

And it’s not just crime in the area that she’s worried about. She notes parking in the neighbourhood has also increased, with concerns it may deter people from visiting.

“It’s $5 an hour and people come here for a cup of coffee for $3-something and then they have to pay if they want to stay. They’re paying more in parking than the coffee.”

Funding a good first step: Chinatown Business Improvement Association

Jordan Eng, president of the Chinatown Business Improvement Association, grew up in Chinatown and admits it has seen its up and downs.

He’s optimistic the possibility of $710,000 from city council will help address some of the issues in the neighbourhood. He says the community feels seen and heard by Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and his team, adding it doesn’t feel like they’re just getting lip service and empty promises.

“I think we’ve turned a corner in Chinatown with the new mayor and council. Really, the last mayor did not seem to think it was a problem in Chinatown and we were really the buffer to the broader city, so what happened in Chinatown did not become a real problem or an election issue until it became a mainstream issue,” Eng said.

FILE – A block of Vancouver’s Chinatown neighbourhood. (CityNews Image)

He says the money being discussed is a good first step but he’s hoping for further funding in the future.

“We’re talking about cleaning up the graffiti. We’re talking about a safety walk. We’re talking about increased cleanliness done by city staff. There was discussion about murals in Chinatown that really tell the history of the neighbourhood and our ancestors and their contributions to Canada, I think that would be the next step — additional funding to support those type of initiatives,” he added.

Vancouver city council is expected to vote on an action plan Tuesday.