The Surrey Board of Trade says it will work to ensure a $10.5 million fund set up by the provincial government to help small businesses deal shoulder costs related to crime and vandalism is distributed “efficiently.”
“The rebate program is going to be helpful for the business community however the larger issue is really the repeat offenders, and that issue is being tackled by the provincial and federal government, but it needs to be expedited,” Jasroop Gosal, policy and research manager for the board, told the Now-Leader.
Money from the fund will be available in the fall, by application, and will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2023, with $2,000 available per business for vandalism repair costs and $1,000 for efforts to prevent vandalism, such as installing security cameras or gates. Funds for repair costs cover broken glass, graffiti cleaning and cleaning up the aftermath of vandalism.
Asked how the board will work to ensure the $10.5 million is distributed fairly, particularly with Surrey businesses in mind, Gosal replied that it will monitor the situation. “So at this point in time businesses will be able to apply and it will start rolling out in the fall of 2023. We’re going to keep a pulse of the business community and ensure that when they apply there is an efficient response from the province, and ensure that businesses are receiving the rebates in a timely fashion.”
Gosal said the Surrey Board of Trade has received numerous complaints from businesses experiencing vandalism throughout the city, but particularly in the town centres.
“It started to really impact business operations during the pandemic and has continued thereafter,” he said. “Businesses have indicated that this relief is welcome and will be effective in helping businesses recover because some of the insurance companies, if you do make an insurance claim, will them increase your premium after that claim, which will increase costs substantially. So this is a welcome measure.”
Still, Gosal noted, the $2,000 per business for the cost of repairs might not be enough. “Sometimes that’s just enough to replace broken glass, and that doesn’t even count labour and things like that, that go into it.
“It definitely is a smaller amount, but it is something that will the business.”
Same applies to the $1,000 for prevention, which Gosal says a lot of businesses are going to be taking advantage of. “More prevention and services are required nowadays, and it is quite expensive. So the $1,000 will be helpful, however there is going to be more costs over and above that $1,000.”
Philip Aguirre, executive director of the Newton BIA, echoed that.
Asked if the funding available to businesses to deal with this is enough, Aguirre replied that “it’s never enough. Every business could use more. A door alone, when the window gets smashed, it’s going to cost several thousand dollars to get a company in to repair it, so it’s significant in the sense that it definitely will help small business mitigate some of those damages but you know, small businesses are paying a lot of money to make their businesses workable.
“All the BIAs, we believe that vandalism has been on the uptake the last decade or so and small business has been taking the brunt of that and it’s cost us a lot of money to repair that vandalism and broken windows and ensure they’re ready to be open the next day,” he said.
Meantime, a provincial government bulletin indicates senior levels of government are working to address the “root” of the vandalism problem, “which is mental health, addiction, and repeat offenders.”
Brenda Bailey, B.C.’s minister of jobs, economic development and innovation, says the provincial government understands business owners’ frustration with dealing with the cost of vandalism by themselves. “We are taking action to support businesses with new funding to provide relief to cover these costs, and make sure we have a thriving business community,” she said.
Businesses will be able to find out in the fall how to apply for help, through boards of trade, local chambers of commerce and BIAs.
Fiona Famulak, president of the BC Chamber of Commerce, noted that businesses “of all types” have seen an increase in costs to repair vandalism damage, “much of it due to the complex issues that communities across the province are facing.”
Surrey RCMP Cpl. Vanessa Munn said while statistics specifically related to vandalism of businesses are not readily available, vandalism falls under the category of mischief which is captured in the Surrey RCMP’s quarterly stats.
“The second quarter stats that we just released show a 12 per cent decrease in mischief and first quarter from 2023 showed a 13 per cent decrease,” Munn said. “Additionally there was a 14 per cent decrease in break-and-enters involving businesses in the second quarter.”
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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