A concerned parent has come forward to share their disappointment over a childcare space in Gastown.
The parent, who chose to remain anonymous, said they were excited to hear about the development and even more excited when her child was accepted. However, they have been disappointed by some realities surrounding the location.
According to the parent who contacted Daily Hive Urbanized, issues range from elevators filled with human excrement, people doing illicit drugs, and some elevators being inoperable, leading to accessibility issues.
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Daily Hive Urbanized reported the opening of the $17 million YMCA childcare space in 2021.
Two facilities are atop the parkade, connected by a pedestrian bridge over a laneway, occupying under half the footprint of the top level of the parkade’s north and south wings. The centres are called Portside and Water View.
In an email to Daily Hive Urbanized a few days ago, the parent said, “It’s been an exhausting ordeal, and this morning’s hotbox just blew me over the edge.”
“To get one’s toddler to daycare, one must stand in a small space while it is being hot-boxed, or else, enter elevators filled with human excrement. Families with strollers and/or people with accessibility issues cannot take 8+ flights of stairs,” the parent said.
They added that they’d witnessed a double-amputee coming down the stairs and cursing to avoid the “absolutely abhorrent” elevator and vestibule conditions.
“We are not guaranteed a safe passage to care.”
In light of the conditions, the parent has begun the process of transferring her child to a different childcare space in the area.
They also claim they aren’t alone.
“Earlier this year, I was in an elevator at pickup with a grandma who told me she no longer does drop-off because of the safety [and] accessibility issues made worse in the morning before the traffic of the day to help stymie them.”
Daily Hive Urbanized visited the area on Monday afternoon and could confirm that the Water Street elevator was down. However, the West Cordova Street elevator was working, and the areas around the stairwells appeared recently cleaned. In addition, we found no evidence of excrement or drug use at the time.
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The City of Vancouver’s EasyPark operates the parkade, and Daily Hive Urbanized contacted the City about the parent’s concerns.
“Operational management of the parkade at 150 Water Street and 151 West Cordova is provided by EasyPark. Facilities and operational management includes a regular schedule of cleaning, maintenance and providing security services. As this is a mixed-use facility (parkade, child care and office uses) additional measures have been established to respond to the particular needs of the facility, and are reviewed regularly and adjusted when necessary,” said the City in a statement to Daily Hive Urbanized.
“This includes taking measures to ensure that stairwells, walkways and elevators are maintained and regularly cleaned. Safety at this site is taken very seriously. EasyPark staff liaise regularly with the childcare operators to ensure that safety measures onsite are met.”
Former Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart celebrated the news when the centre was opened.
“The location of the new facilities on the roof of the existing parkades is a unique approach to adding new childcare buildings to the downtown core and, in addition, has allowed us to offer no-cost childcare solutions to families in Strathcona and the Downtown Eastside who would otherwise not be able to afford childcare,” he said at the time.
With files from Kenneth Chan
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