Businesses near 1st Ave. and Commercial Dr. to sue FortisBC

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – FortisBC could soon be sued by more than a dozen businesses near 1st Ave. and Commercial Dr. in Vancouver.

It’s based on losses suffered during construction work last year.

Federico Fuoco, the owner of Federico’s Supper Club, has been threatening legal action for months.

RELATED: Vancouver business owner says FortisBC broke promise to cover cost of lost revenue

Fuoco tells us FortisBC failed to follow through on promises to reimburse them for money lost when extensive gas line upgrades were done along 1st Avenue.

“They told us to lawyer up, and that’s what we’ve done. We thought maybe in the interim, they might come back with something. But they haven’t. I guess this is the only option … We’ve lawyer-ed up.”

Asked what the next steps are, Fuoco said, “From our meeting last night, we prepare certain documents and then take action, legally.”

He claims most business owners suffered losses of at least 20 per cent — in some cases, as much as 50 per cent — and hopes of recovering them over the holidays didn’t pan out.

RELATED: Restaurant owner optimistic ahead of potential class action lawsuit against FortisBC

E. 1st Ave. was closed between Nanaimo St. and Clark Dr. for the majority of the summer in 2018 due to gas line upgrades.

Fuoco says before work began, businesses in the area met with FortisBC.

“They promised a three-pronged approach. Compensation for business loss, advertising, and community amenities,” he claims.

“They’ve done two of the three. The one that they haven’t done — which is the most important — is compensation for the business.”

In July Cassia Bake Shop, which was located on E. 1st Ave. near Commercial Dr., said it was forced to shut down due to a drastic decrease in the number of customers coming through the doors during construction. The shop said it used to see 60 customers per day and business plummeted to an estimated five per day while FortisBC did work in the area.

RELATED: Vancouver bakery shuts down due to E. 1st Ave closure, wants compensation

Fuoco argues small businesses are the backbone of the economy and it’s already tough for them to survive. “Especially in Vancouver with the high property taxes, all the regulations, all the licenses and what it costs us. The high rents, the high wages — It’s never-ending. It’s really making it tough for small businesses. Then — to compound things — we have this complete closure of 1st Ave.”

Side streets were also designated for “local traffic” only, with the aim of avoiding congestion along roads that aren’t designed to handle large volumes of traffic. Members of the VPD were stationed along those side streets, pulling over drivers who were ignoring the signs.

“I’ve had suppliers, employees, customers ticketed. It was ridiculous. You couldn’t get to the locations on the Drive. They made it more difficult.”

In a statement, FortisBC points out at this time, the company has not been served with any legal action related to the work done on E. 1st Ave. last summer.

“While construction was underway on East 1st Avenue, we worked directly with businesses to understand how we could help support them. This support included maintaining access for customers and deliveries, signage and offering a range of promotional opportunities,” it says in the statement.

FortisBC has not commented about whether compensation was promised to businesses in the area.

It directed to its YouTube channel for examples of videos promoting businesses in the area.