Vancouver Moves Forward on Chinatown Action Plan

Chinatown tries hard to fight back against graffiti to no avail

When Ken Sim was overwhelmingly voted as Mayor of Vancouver, one of his campaign promises was to fix up the situation in Chinatown. 

The neighbourhood is in a sad state, with homeless people and drug addicts sprawled on sidewalks, and numerous cases of petty theft, vandalism and graffiti. It's not just visually unappealing but also the putrid smells of garbage littered everywhere along with feces and urine.

Today Vancouver City Council unanimously approved the "Uplifting Chinatown Action Plan" which is an extensive list of things that will be done to literally clean up the area.

Mayor Sim promises action to clean up the area

"Chinatown is an invaluable part of our city -- a much beloved community that celebrates Vancouver's diversity and cultural heritage," says Sim. 

"Chinatown holds an important place in the hearts of many. Today, with the passage of the Uplifting Chinatown Plan, we are excited to be taking the next step towards the revitalisation and renewal of this vital part of our city," Sim is quoted as saying in the press release.

It does not mention a price tag, but the media reports it could cost around CAD$2.1 million.

The long list of actions are pretty impressive, made to look like a marked improvement from the previous municipal administration.

Initiatives include a "safewalk program" for seniors and residents in Chinatown to get home safely; 24/7 access to a public washroom at Main and Hastings streets; 15 new larger-capacity public waste bins; continuation of CAD$500,000 in graffiti prevention and abatement grants to business improvement associations; additional funding for free paint and graffiti removal on upper facades and heritage buildings; and funding for the Chinese Community Policing Centre.

What about tackling the issue on Hastings Street?

There's also the "proactive feces collection" five days a week -- what does "proactive" mean? The press release points out it was only once a week before -- but why not seven? Do people not defecate the other two days?

While we really appreciate all these actions, they are just keeping Chinatown much cleaner. What about tackling the actual problem of drugs and homelessness a block away on Hastings Street? What is the action plan there? 

Business owners say the report break-ins and vandalism to the police, but they say the officers don't do much about it. 

If nothing is done to really deal with these problems, then the "Uplifting Chinatown Plan" will be a Sisyphean task.