People perusing the various shops along Bank Street are suddenly met with an urge to “go.” What do they do?
The reality is that in downtown Ottawa, there aren’t many options. They can either spend countless minutes furtively searching for an elusive outdoor public toilet in the area, or enter a store and most likely be confronted with an employees’ only sign hanging on the washroom door.
These options are unacceptable, especially for people with IBS, Crohn’s or Colitis – all inflammatory bowel diseases requiring excessive trips to the toilet.
If toilets are a basic human need, how can they not be accessible?
The GottaGo! campaign is hoping to solve this dilemma. The group is lobbying councillors for more public toilets in Ottawa, including at LRT stations and public parks. Most importantly, however, they’re recommending the city provide subsidies to some private businesses in exchange for allowing the public to use their washrooms.
The group has a point. If people are browsing stores and gotta go, they’re not going to continue shopping if they can’t use the washroom. Having public toilets in businesses could actually boost sales because it would encourage people to visit stores and stay longer.
Sheena Zain, manager of Aziz & Company, a store that sells Indian products on Bank Street, says more people may be leaving her store because they don’t see a public toilet.
“You feel like you’re stealing the toilet if you don’t pay for it,” says Joan Kuyek, chair of the GottaGo! campaign. Coffee shops and convenience stores tell people toilets are for customers only, she says.
Although the Ontario Building Code requires universal toilets in new buildings, this doesn’t apply to the existing businesses without publicly accessible toilets.
According to the 2014 Talking Toilets study, 60 per cent of participants have been denied use of a toilet in a private business or restaurant.
If businesses received some funding from the city, they could actually maintain their toilets and satisfy customers.
Money for toilets is a big concern for businesses. Kuyek points to England’s situation, where the government gives businesses approximately $1,900 a year in subsidies to put up signs indicating they have public toilets.
While installing more toilets in businesses would certainly cost more than signage, it’s a good first step.
However, public toilets are less an issue of money and more of accommodation for everyone. The city is spending billions on building an LRT network and planting trees, yet are neglecting a basic human need.
This is particularly troubling for people with medical conditions.
In the Ottawa area alone, 7,000 people suffer from IBS, Crohn’s or Colitis, says Sherry Pang, the development co-ordinator of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada.
Not to mention the countless others who need urgent access to toilets as a result of aging or mothers with small children.
“Without washrooms, accidents can be humiliating,” says Pang, who suffers from Crohn’s Disease. She adds accessible public toilets are “vital to the quality of life with this disease.”
A 2010 study by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada found 44 per cent of people living with the disease have experienced accidents. No one should endure this humiliation.
It’s time the city starts thinking about toilets. Getting businesses on board is the first step.