Should Hamilton keep park washrooms open year-round?
The pandemic has prodded the city to look at keeping park washrooms open year-round - but winterized loos would not come cheap.
Right now, all but four of 55 washrooms in Hamilton parks shut down between October and May - partly because some seasonal buildings do not have insulated pipes or heat, but also because cleaning duties fall to summer students.
The city started looking at keeping more washrooms open, more often, after a COVID-inspired spike in park visitors - alongside more complaints from folks with nowhere to go. Pandemic business lockdowns also highlighted an acute need for washroom access for homeless residents.
Sheryl WickensPerrie wrote to council in January recounting her frustrated search for a flush toilet near busy Bayfront Park one sunny winter day. With all the people around our waterfront (that day) it is not possible that I was the only person needing a washroom," she said.
Such complaints prompted the city to temporarily open the harbourfront Gartshore Thomson building for washroom use last winter, said parks head Kara Bunn. But the city has also reviewed the possibilities for the rest of its park washrooms.
Bunn said about 27 washroom facilities need significant" renovations to make them winter-safe and are not good candidates for a quick year-round conversion. But the remaining 28 buildings are either already winter-proof or could be made so without major work.
(Washrooms near skating rinks already stay open in winter at Freelton, Waterdown Memorial and Dundas Driving parks, as well as a public loo at the harbourfront coffee shop.)
It would cost about $230,000 in security and physical upgrades - plus $518,000 in annual operating cash - to open all 28 winter washroom candidates, according to the city review. On average, each new year-round loo would add about $18,000 to the city operating budget.
There is no guarantee that all of the potential winterized washrooms will be funded. Some locations may just not make sense, warned Bunn, whether because of low visitor numbers or too much vandalism.
City staff will consult with ward councillors to flush out likely locations ahead of a report with recommendations - so if you have views on year-round loos, now might be the time to talk to your councillor.
From my community's standpoint, people are craving social recreational activity and they don't want to shut it down in the winter months," said Mountain Coun. Tom Jackson, one of several councillors to express support for the idea.
Adding any new year-round washrooms would be a step in the right direction" to supporting homeless residents, said Fairuz Karim, a McMaster University research assistant who contributed to a project on public washroom access for the Beasley Neighbourhood Association titled Nowhere to Go."
Especially for vulnerable populations, being left without a place to go ... can be really dehumanizing and an issue of safety and hygiene," said Karim, who wrote about the issue in a Spectator opinion piece and urged people to share stories on Twitter with the hashtag #WhenNatureCalls.
Karim also expressed hope the city would consult community outreach groups like Keeping Six to help prioritize areas where the need for public washroom access is greatest.
Matthew Van Dongen is a Hamilton-based reporter covering transportation for The Spectator. Reach him via email: mvandongen@thespec.com