VANCOUVER -- The owner of the Domino’s Pizza in downtown Vancouver was puzzled when an employee asked him for a power washer.
“She said she needed it to clean human faeces,” said Bryan Dobb, shaking his head. “They keep finding it out front, and it’s not right that the staff should have to clean it up.”
Across the street, Raymond Staniscia has put up barbed wire in the alley outside his restaurant. Another business has done the same.
“These are just deterrents, this doesn’t stop them," said the owner of The Pawn Shop Mexican restaurant. “It cost me thousands, but is it going to guarantee it? No.“
A few doors down, the owner of Brunch restaurant told CTV News he often finds needles at the back of his eatery.
“Honestly, a five gallon pail half-full of needles. And a five gallon pail is big,” said Ian Turnbull.
The owners insisted there has been a sharp rise in theft, drug use, vandalism and litter - including human waste - on the Granville Strip.
The area has long had issues, but they insisted things got really bad when the B.C. government and the City of Vancouver moved the occupants living in Oppenheimer Park to hotel and hostel rooms downtown.
“I would say this is easily 10 times worse than I’ve ever seen it,” said Staniscia.
Dobb said his employees have been threatened, and whatever isn’t bolted down is stolen.
“They will steal anything,” he told CTV News.
The restauranteurs wanted to make it clear, they support finding housing for the former residents of Oppenheimer Park, but argued housing isn’t enough, their new neighbours need to be supported too.
“You can’t just put them in there and say, ‘Well, we‘ve given you a place to live now, things are going to be better,' you need more than that," argued Staniscia.
Turnbull agreed: “People need to look at who needs help, and how we can really help them, instead of, ‘Well, let’s just get these people off the street.'"
The City of Vancouver is well aware of their concerns, but pointed out the pandemic has forced many facilities like community centres to close, and therefore not as many services like washrooms are available.
“The city has increased sanitation services in a number of hot spot areas,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement.
The B.C. government said housing advocates are trying to ensure a smother transition.
“We have seen that this group has started to bridge and foster some positive relationships with neighbours,” wrote the MInistry of Attorney General in a statement.
