To be clear, I have a lot of privileges — I don't require an accessible washroom, I have an apartment with a toilet in it, and if I'm out and about, I can afford to buy a drink in order to use a bathroom at Tim Hortons or McDonald's, or I can duck into a nearby Goodlife as I'm a member of the gym.
But what about people who can't do that? Every single person needs to use the washroom, and it's illegal to relieve yourself in public, so for it to be gatekept by those who can afford to essentially pay for the ability to use the service is mind boggling, classist and frankly, inhumane.
@thelyghtlifeShould I go back with a quarter 🪙 ? #publicwashroom #cityoftoronto #ibs #chrones #toronto #poop #washroom #fyp
I've been fortunate to have travelled to a few different countries, and one of the things that I found utterly surprising was the amount of clean and accessible public toilets in Japan, particularly in Tokyo and Osaka. The public bathrooms in Italy, France and Australia varied in terms of cleanliness (Paris, who hurt you?), but I was generally able to find one whenever I needed it.
Recently in Toronto, my partner and I wanted to visit a park for a little picnic, and given the delicate nature of my bladder, I decided to research in advance what the toilet situation would be like. I was able to ascertain that there was indeed a public facility to use there, but when nature called shortly after my two Diet Cokes, I discovered that it was closed, so I had to purchase a few Timbits at the Tim Hortons nearby just so I could pee.
Even if those toilets had been open on the day I needed one, it turns out they're also only open seasonally, so if I'd needed it in winter I also would have been sh*t out of luck — no pun intended.
Of the 70 TTC subway stations in the city, only 10 have bathrooms (a list of which can be found here), which is wild when you consider how many people use those services every single day.
Toronto doesn't have nearly enough public toilets, so as someone who tends to need to use the bathroom often while I'm out and about, here are some of the places that I find are the easiest to use in the city without needing to pay.
Most bathrooms listed in this article are pretty well stocked, but something to keep in mind is the fact that there might not be toilet paper, water or soap at whatever toilet you stop at, so it's always a good idea to keep some tissues and hand sanitizer on you in case of emergency.
Everyone's gotta go, and the fact that the lack of public bathrooms creates legitimate barriers for people is unacceptable — Toronto, please do better.
