Everyone poops – A need for public restrooms.
We Need Public Toilets
Everyone poops. Everyone needs to urinate at least a few times a day. For anyone who suffers from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis, having access to a washroom isn’t just a convenience, it’s a necessity. Not having access to a clean, accessible, safe public washroom is harmful to human health and impacts the ability of people to live their lives to the fullest. Cities and governments used to recognize the need for public restrooms and used to invest in building new facilities for public sanitation. One example is the Patterson Creek Park Pavilion built in 1923. Yet, aside from a few small buildings are some locations in parks (where they are locked most of the time), the City of Ottawa is reticent to construct any, including in transit stations. Typical excuses we hear include concerns about costs, safety, and cleanliness. They claim that these washrooms will attract certain kinds of shady individuals who may attack or harass users, and unhoused people will use them as shelters. I am not convinced of these arguments and see this as another casualty of an austerity-focused City that doesn’t recognize washroom access as an important public good. They mostly don’t want to have to spend money to construct and maintain these facilities, as if such infrastructure would be so costly.
There is a group in Ottawa advocating for more public toilets throughout the National Capital Region. GottaGo recognizes the need for public washrooms for the general public not only to simply relieve themselves or change a diaper, but also for people living with disabilities and require easy access to washrooms. It would be a boost to people’s quality of life and give others confidence to go about their daily lives knowing that, should something happen, there is a public washroom nearby.
Yes, it will cost money to build and maintain these washrooms. However, compared to other expenses, the cost of construction and maintenance is not too great for the City to afford. It would be relatively easy for the City to require parks and all transit stations to require a couple. I find it strange that, by law, businesses serving food must have a certain number of toilets available for patrons, but there are only four LRT stations with bathrooms (mandated by the Province), and they’re not always unlocked or cleaned. GottaGo says it would be a job-creator in the short-term and long-term for constructing these facilities to hiring staff to maintain the hygiene. If designed properly, washrooms can be efficient to clean and quite safe for public use, and there are many that are even self-cleaning. It is an investment in improving our communities. However, when it comes to homelessness and drug addiction, it isn’t right for governments to throw up their hands and surrender as though these serious social issues are unavoidable problems, so we must do without. The need for public restrooms is separate from the need to eliminate homelessness and drug addiction. If these washrooms are used for shelter or drug-use, the problem isn’t with the washrooms themselves – rather, it’s the failure of our governments to help those most in need. They should instead reconsider whatever they’re doing and take a new course.
While there is more that can be done, the NCC has made some efforts to provide public restrooms on their lands. Patterson Creek, Vincent Massey Park, and Dow’s Lake all have dedicated public restrooms, admittedly only open during spring to autumn. Ottawa and the NCC should make it a standard that all major parks and greenspaces, as well as all transit stations, should have good public washroom facilities. Additionally, the City should look to retrofit some existing building and require some new buildings to include publicly-accessible washrooms with direct access from the street (with wayfinding signs), as is the case in major cities in Japan. Kids know that everyone poops. There’s a famous book about it. Using the washroom is a basic human function and we should be able to accommodate for this need. Ottawa is the capital of Canada and a member of the G7. We can do so much better.
Public Washrooms in Other Cities
Montreal
The presence of public toilets in a city was once a point of pride and the lack thereof was an embarrassment. Montreal used to lack public washrooms, but in the late 1800s, Montrealers cried out for the need, and eventually successive mayors built them. Even during the Great Depression, when governments had little money and many people struggled financially, Mayor Camillien Houde would see to it to construct the now well-recognized camilliennes in public parks and squares. Designed by Jean-Omer Marchand, these octagonal buildings were in the Beaux-Arts style using stone and decorated with fluted pilasters topped with composite capitals. Unfortunately, Mayor Jean Drapeau would close Montreal’s public restrooms in the ‘70s claiming financial reasons (though some assume to discourage gay men from using them as cruising spots), some of these iconic buildings were retrofitted into refreshment stands and cafés. My favourite one was near my former apartment in the leafy Square St-Louis.
Japan
Japan invested heavily in public restrooms, and nowadays they can be found regardless of urban or rural area. Virtually all transit stations (aside from a few smaller ones with infrequent trains or no stationmasters) have them, and konbini, the Japanese convenience stores found on almost every block have them freely available. Some are built on train platforms, while others can be accessed from the street. I used one in Kyoto that was built into a small office building one could only access from the street. Tokyo even undertook an ambition project, called the Tokyo Toilet, hiring famous architects to design public restrooms scattered throughout central Tokyo near Yoyogi Park. Each design reflected the architects unique take on what public restrooms could be and are worth an architectural pilgrimage unto themselves. Most are designed to accommodate people with disabilities including those in wheelchairs, parents with small children and people with an ostomy. There’s even a photographer photographing all of the unique toilets across Japan, though most toilets are rather plain and functional (and free).
By Sheldon Defilippi
