The mayor of Vancouver declares: “This community needs to come to life once more.”

The revitalization of Vancouver’s historic Chinatown area has received new money from the federal government totaling $1.8 million.

“The pandemic has particularly affected Chinatown. Storefronts and offices were vacant, “Minister of International Development Harjit Sajjan remarked.

But this community is solid and forward-looking.

The mayor of Vancouver, Ken Sim, was present for the announcement on Monday and emphasized how crucial and appropriate the investment was.

“Many of us have very strong roots in this place. It’s time for this neighborhood to reanimate.”

One of the city’s oldest areas, Chinatown in Vancouver has always struggled with crime, a problem that was made worse by the pandemic.

The federal cash, according to Carol Lee, head of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, is a turning point for the area, but she emphasizes that while it is a step in the right direction, “not the answer.’

“According to Lee, who spoke at a news conference on Monday at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre, “There has been a sudden rise in anti-Asian prejudice, random attacks on our seniors, a sizable increase in graffiti and vandalism, [as well as] a rise in property crime, making Chinatown a place that people no longer feel safe visiting.

The federal funding will come from the Canada Tourism Relief Fund and be used to upgrade shop windows and doors, modernize street lighting to decrease crime at cultural institutions, and modernize local building infrastructure.

Chinatown will finally start to regain some of the shine it once had, according to Lee, after years of neglect.

According to the Vancouver Police Department, Chinatown has long faced problems with criminality, which have been made worse during the pandemic, because to its proximity to the Downtown Eastside.

According to police, there have been an increasing number of alarming cases involving violence against radicalized individuals or hate crimes.

In an effort to allay these worries, Vancouver City Council in January approved spending close to $1 million to increase security and lessen vandalism and graffiti in Chinatown.

The planned improvements include spending $110,000 to maintain a city office in the area for six months, $210,000 to remove and deter graffiti, and $390,000 on cleanup projects.