Overhaul of Halifax street comes at big cost to small businesses, says shop owner

The dust, debris and loud jackhammering that have become the new normal on Dutch Village Road in Halifax is costing small businesses in the neighbourhood, according to one store owner who has seen a dramatic drop in sales.

Mohammad Ashiq, co-owner of Hello Pets, said financial support is needed to help businesses like his that are struggling because of the road construction project, which started in the spring and is expected to last until the end of the year.

"What we're seeing is since April, our daily sales were starting to go down, and since July, that kind of was a bit more steep," Ashiq said in an interview. "We're seeing almost half of what we would normally see in a day."

Ashiq said he's heard from several customers who've been avoiding the area — and his pet supplies shop — because it's too difficult to find parking with the ongoing construction.

CBC News spoke with other businesses on the street that said they are also experiencing slumping sales.

To encourage continued shopping, Ashiq is offering free delivery in Halifax and expanding his e-commerce platform. While it has helped the store keep afloat, Ashiq said he wishes more could be done from a government perspective. 

"A challenge like this scale is really difficult for us to navigate with the limited resources that we have," said Ashiq. "So any kind of support from the government would definitely be welcome and very helpful."

City support would require legislative change

Duncan Robertson, director of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business in Nova Scotia, said some jurisdictions, like Montreal and Calgary, offer construction mitigation funds to businesses. 

But he said implementing something similar in Nova Scotia would take extra steps. 

"Here in Nova Scotia, municipalities don't have the authority to provide direct financial support to small businesses. So we would need the province to get on board and make amendments to the Municipal [Government] Act," Robertson said in an interview.

CBC News has asked the provincial Department of Municipal Affairs for comment. 

The federation released a report last year that found almost seven in 10 Canadian small businesses experienced "disruptions" due to construction projects over a five-year period. Among those, 40 per cent reported a decline in sales. The most common disruptions included issues with parking, increased traffic, dust, debris and noise.

Robertson said aside from financial support, municipalities in Nova Scotia can help by communicating with businesses before construction projects begin.

"The HRM [Halifax Regional Municipality], particularly, they deserve good credit. They have seen major improvements in communication and signage, et cetera. So they've done a good job at the non-financial side of construction mitigation," he said. 

The municipality told CBC News in a statement that while it does not provide compensation for construction-related impacts, "it remains committed to minimizing disruptions wherever possible and completing these essential projects safely and efficiently."

Ashiq said he was given "ample notice" about the construction, but he did not expect it to be this disruptive. Among other things, the project involves adding a sidewalk, creating raised bike lanes and on-street parallel parking spaces, as well as streetscaping.

"We knew that we would lose the parking spots on Dutch Village Road, but we weren't aware or sure that we would also lose the parking spot on the side streets," said Ashiq.

He said that after sharing the challenges his business is facing on social media, many community members have responded with words of support and have started shopping at his store. 

Ashiq said it shows the community is doing its best to help small businesses — now he's hopeful governments follow suit.