Vancouver’s Chinatown receives more funding, but is that the answer?

Another round of funding has been announced for the revitalization of Vancouver’s Chinatown — but is more money the answer?

B.C. Premier David Eby was in the historic area Friday to announce the boost of $2.2 million to “create a more vibrant neighbourhood for residents, visitors and businesses.”

“Chinatown is, of course, the place at the heart of Vancouver’s history, of British Columbia’s history, and of Canada’s history right from the very beginning,” he said.

“Not only does it attract countless tourists who come every year to see the unique architecture and eat the food and shop and see the cultural attractions, but the neighbourhood is still a hub and a home for a thriving local community.”

Eby says the neighbourhood has “had to shoulder burdens no other community should” in recent years, pointing to crime, vandalism, and “a rise in anti-Asian racism” through the pandemic as just some of the challenges.

“Vancouver’s Chinatown has stayed strong for over a century, survived in the face of the 1907 anti-Asian riots as well as the threat of the so-called slum clearance and the highway construction period post-World War II. And we’ll ensure that a century from now, Chinatown is still standing, and still thriving,” the premier added.

The funding is set to go toward things like upgrading infrastructure, restoring storefronts, and improving safety.

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But some are wary, saying while funding is important, measures need to address the root causes of the issues Chinatown is facing.

“I do think more money is the answer, but it’s money in the right places. Mental health resources and things like that, because the problem’s not going to go away. We can’t just make it disappear from your eyes, it’s not going to go away,” one local told CityNews.

“It’s not just throwing money but I think it’s educating the community also, which is important, right? Not just throwing money at them,” another added.

One woman visiting Vancouver says she’s all for more cash to help the community, though she agrees the money needs to tackle issues, like the homelessness crisis, head on.

“We just came for the day to have lunch and we are trying to avoid, we’re swerving in and out of the sidewalk, trying to just get to where we need to go,” she said.

Eby has said the funding announced Friday is specifically earmarked for Chinatown. While he feels the money will also help the community’s neighbours living in the Downtown Eastside, he says “this is well beyond the capacity of just the City of Vancouver to deal with.”

The provincial announcement comes after the federal government committed $1.8 million in February to revitalize the neighbourhood. That followed funding from the city of $2.1 million as part of its “Uplifting Chinatown” project.

On the business front, the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation says the vacancy rate in the area is around 17 per cent.