issue 33// vol 46 life & style // no. 15

How locals are adjusting to the new rules

» Observations of the David Lam campus neighbourhood during COVID-19

Jerrison Oracion
Senior Columnist

 

he Lower Mainland is currently in

Phase 3 of BC’s Restart Plan and things
are kind of getting back to normal. While
elementary schools, middle schools, and
high schools will be open when school is
back on September 8, most post-secondary
institutions, including Douglas College,
will not have in-person sessions and classes
will be held online (likely through Zoom).
It is also possible that the Other Press staff
meetings will also happen through Zoom
this year.

As the pandemic progresses,
more activity has started to occur
in the neighbourhood of the David
Lam campus—more businesses and
restaurants have reopened and eased safety
precautions since the beginning of Phase
3. Most of the time that I have been in the
neighbourhood, the atmosphere in the
New West campus has also been like that.
The David Lam campus will still

be open but student services (including
financial aid), the registrar’s office, CEIT,
counselling, and the library will not
be offered in-person. Services will be
available through the college’s website or

via phone and email. In the library, there
are a lot of digital resources available,
including streaming services with access to
documentaries and educational material.

Coquitlam Centre is not as busy as it
used to be during this time considering
the safety precautions in place to maintain
social distancing. When going around the
mall, you have to walk on the right side,
and it is recommended that you wear a
mask. You are even encouraged to wear a
mask in the washroom!

Some food places are open for takeout
while Ricky’s is open with reduced seating
at 50 percent capacity. On the topic of
food, most restaurants are open for dine-in,
depending on whether the restaurant can
operate safely with the safety precautions
developed by WorkSafe BC and BC
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie
Henry. For example, half of the Bubble
World near the campus is used for dining
in and the other half is converted into a
waiting area for takeout—which has a lot of
space and is comfortable. At Snowy Village,
the entire dining area is empty to allow
customers to have space while waiting to
get their shaved ice and OZ Korean Cuisine
(which is a few blocks away) is still open
for takeout if you like to eat Korean fried

chicken. In the case of C-Lovers Fish and
Chips, the all-you-can-eat option is not
available and meals are only available
through takeout. Although Starbucks has
safety precautions in place, it can get busy
because of the warm weather outside. And
they do “Happy Hour,’ depending on the
size of the location.

Will convenience stores become
a thing of the past?

>» An interview with Vancouver Councillor Sarah Kirby- Yung

Craig Allan
Staff Writer

 

Wwe driving down a residential
street, you will tend to see the
same things. Single dwellings, apartment
complexes, and parks. But, in some areas,
another sight can be seen. A store, right
in the middle, with no other businesses
around. These stores are convenience
stores—they are not chains like 7/11.

af

ee
CT
MARKET _

Instead, they are local and independently
run stores. Their name is accurate, as in
some cases, they may be the only place

to get food within a 20-minute walking
distance. As time has gone on though,
there seem to be a lot of boarded up
corner stores. While there are quite

a few in the city, convenience stores

have been disappearing. Why are they
disappearing? Is there hope for the future
of the convenience store? To discuss

  

Photo by Craig Allan

these questions and more, the Other
Press contacted Vancouver Councillor
Sarah Kirby-Yung. She has proposed a
motion to save and increase the number of
convenience stores in the Vancouver area.
Kirby-Yung believes that convenience
stores have the potential to be an engaging
part of a walkable green community:
“They've served as focal points for social
connection, fulfillment of daily needs, and
they create an overall neighbourhood feel.”
With Vancouver and other areas in the
lower mainland wanting to become more
walkable and connected, corner stores may
be a better alternative than a big box store
which may not be easily accessible by foot.
While Kirby-Yung supports the continued
operation of the standard corner store, she
also sees the traditional store becoming a
hybrid with a café or a gathering spot. Not
only could this type of venture be a service
to the community, but it could also bea
place that builds engagement in the area.
However, the convenience store life
has been slowly disappearing in recent
years. A 2019 UBC report pointed out
that 364 of these types of stores had
been demolished at the time of the
report’s filing. “A lot of this was due to
changing planning and zoning policies
that moved to locate retail on to main
streets, did not enable retail in residential
neighbourhoods, the increasing cost of
commercial space, as well as changes
in consumer shopping habits. Now
we're seeing a renewed interest in local

 

Parks near campus, including Town
Centre Park, are open. They offer a large
space and you can do a lot of active
things as long as you participate in social
distancing. Most of the David Lam campus
neighbourhood is back in business, it
seems.

and accessible amenities in individual
neighbourhoods.’

There is a bright future for the corner
store in Sarah’s eyes: “When you bring up
the topic of corner stores, everyone gets a
smile on their face and has a story. They
remember the family/people that ran the
store and their names.” All of these shared
positive memories leads this councillor to
think that the population is craving these
meaningful neighboutrly interactions with
others. She points out that COVID-19 has
shown just how important local businesses
are for those who don’t want to stray far
from home. Kirby-Yung also sees corner
stores in line with a green agenda since
local services allow an area to become more
sustainable.

In my pursuit of this story, I tried to
get the perspective of a convenience store
owner. But, in my search, I found that
many were just too busy to talk to me.

In a way that shows the dedication these
store proprietors have to their business.
You can feel that when stepping inside
and seeing everything—from milk and
laundry detergent to imported foods that
the owner has brought from their recent
trip to Asia or the United States. There is
areal charm to the establishments and a
feeling that they are more sown into the
community than a big box retailer. In the
end, these are not just convenience stores,
they are community stores that should not
be overlooked.