B.C. launches $10.5m rebate for businesses’ vandalism repairs, prevention measures

VANCOUVER — British Columbia is launching a $10.5-million program to help small businesses recover costs due to crime and vandalism.

Economic Development Minister Brenda Bailey says the program will begin in the fall and is open to small businesses that suffered vandalism damage retroactive to Jan. 1 this year. 

If approved for the rebate, businesses can receive up to $2,000 for cost of repairs and up to $1,000 for prevention measures.

The criteria for businesses to be eligible haven’t yet been released, but the government says the costs of broken glass and cleaning graffiti are eligible for repairs. 

Bailey, who lives in downtown Vancouver, says she has seen the vandalism affecting small businesses and heard from owners who are struggling with repair costs on top of their other rising expenses. 

She made the announcement in Chinatown, a neighbourhood where business owners have been hit hard by vandalism during the pandemic years while consumer foot traffic fell.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2023.

The Canadian Press