Recent media coverage has framed opposition to a proposed Vancouver Police Department training centre at the former London Drugs space in the Woodward’s building as reflecting the unified stance of local businesses.
However, several long-standing business operators in the Downtown Eastside say that narrative is incomplete and inaccurate.
According to multiple business owners, the public position advanced by the Hastings Crossing BIA does not reflect the views of a significant portion of its membership, particularly those operating on the front lines of the neighbourhood’s ongoing public safety crisis.
A significant share of businesses say they were not represented
One business owner, who asked to remain anonymous due to concerns about retaliation, represents operations connected to more than 300 businesses located in the BIA. That figure accounts for more than one-third of the 800-plus businesses the BIA claims to represent.
The owner said she would not participate in the BIA’s recent call to action urging members to oppose the potential conversion of the former London Drugs space into a police training facility.
“I’m not speaking as one dissenting voice,” she said. “Our businesses have operated in this neighbourhood since 2006, four years before the BIA was founded.”
Anchor retailers did not leave by choice
In recent coverage, the BIA has argued that the Woodward’s space should remain an active, public-facing retail anchor to support foot traffic and neighbourhood vitality.
Business owners say that argument ignores recent history.
London Drugs closed its Woodward’s location after operating for 15 years. Public reporting has confirmed the store lost more than $10 million during that period. Staff faced repeated safety incidents, including physical assaults and death threats. The company implemented extensive security measures in coordination with police, but ultimately determined the location was no longer viable.
Those incidents were widely reported at the time and remain part of the public record.
“They didn’t abandon the neighbourhood,” the business owner said. “They were forced out.”
A pattern of closures tied to safety concerns
London Drugs was not alone.
Calabash Bistro, a Black-owned business that operated in the area for 15 years, closed after its owner, Cullin David, publicly described the surrounding blocks as a “war zone.” In interviews, David said staff and business partners witnessed a fatal stabbing and faced repeated confrontations with armed individuals. He said police escorts became necessary and that the toll on his mental health made continued operation impossible.
JJ Bean closed its Hastings location in 2023. TD Bank followed in 2024 after repeated vandalism incidents.
Each closure occurred in a highly visible storefront location once considered essential to neighbourhood stability.
“These were the retail anchors everyone says they want,” the business owner said. “They existed. They failed because the baseline conditions for safety no longer existed.”
Retail research assumes conditions that do not exist
In its outreach to members, the BIA cited research suggesting that active storefronts create safer, more economically viable streets.
Business operators say those studies assume a level of public order that does not currently exist in the Downtown Eastside.
“You cannot generate foot traffic when people fear for their physical safety walking to buy groceries,” the business owner said. “Those models break down when staff need police escorts just to open the door.”
She added that years of retail-first advocacy did not prevent the collapse of major storefronts across the district.
“The vacant storefronts are the scorecard,” she said.
Disagreement over policing investment
The BIA has also argued that the area has already seen significant investment in policing.
Business owners dispute that assessment.
“If investment were sufficient, we would not have watched every major anchor tenant leave,” the business owner said. “What’s being proposed now is one of the first tangible signs of sustained provincial interest in safety infrastructure for this neighbourhood.”
The proposed facility would serve as a training centre for the Vancouver Police Department. While not a retail use, proponents say it would bring consistent daily foot traffic, long-term provincial investment, and a visible institutional commitment to public safety.
Supporting safety infrastructure does not mean opposing retail
Business owners pushing back on the prevailing narrative say their position has been oversimplified.
They say supporting a police training centre does not mean opposing future retail development. Instead, they argue that safety infrastructure must come first.
“I am not opposed to retail,” the business owner said. “I am opposed to advocating against the only serious provincial interest in this site when retail has repeatedly failed under current conditions.”
She added that meaningful retail revival will require a stabilized environment that does not yet exist.
“Fix the safety crisis first,” she said. “Then talk to me about retail anchors.”
Calls for more accurate coverage
Business owners say the issue is not simply a disagreement with the BIA, but with how the story has been portrayed publicly.
By treating the BIA’s position as synonymous with business sentiment, they say recent coverage erased dissenting voices and overlooked years of documented closures tied directly to safety failures.
“This isn’t theoretical for us,” the business owner said. “It’s lived experience.”
As discussions around the future of the Woodward’s site continue, business operators are calling for more nuanced reporting that reflects the diversity of views within the neighbourhood and the realities that have driven past decisions.
