I was driving along Hastings the other day after picking up the week’s groceries when I passed by the awesome bakery Punk Rock Pastries.
On a normal day, this Burnaby business is filled with a pink glow.
Now? The windows have been papered over and the place looks abandoned.
It’s the same with many other businesses around our city as people stay home due to COVID-19. Many businesses aren’t just shutting down – they are locking them down so they aren’t targets for thieves.
Burnaby RCMP said recently that it was stepping up patrols in local business districts to watch out for thieves and vandals.
But what you are also seeing around Metro Vancouver are businesses literally boarding up their windows to try and prevent damage.
The photo attached is from Vancouver along 4th Avenue. I bet we will see more of this as more business shut down. Businesses owners are doing their best to protect their shops, but it’s hard when they might not be back there in a week or even two weeks.
Parts of the city are like a ghost town around dinner time as the few people who have to work have gone home.
We all need to be vigilant by watching out for our neighbours and our local businesses as much as possible.
We can’t let a few scummy humans get away with this.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
