A friend txts this photo - sunset tonight in riverdale park. “500 people, washrooms locked tight”. All these people just doing the right safe thing. This entire council needs to be voted out. So many words about open washrooms, and this. It’s an insult. Vote them all out. 
People should get fire axes and open them themselves if their back-yarded councillor is going to go awol on them.
On Sunday in Grange Park the washrooms were open (but in a bad state) but a parks worker came by at 8pm to lock them. Couple 100 still in park. Sun still out. Bladders? Toronto council would prefer you stay in your apt. They have demonstrated this. (Pic about 7pm). 14 months now.
FTR I really *hate* being public toilet guy, but every friggan time I'm compelled to rant about it, it resonates so widely. Look at ^. This out of touch approach to public space & parks pisses all kinds of people off & destroys trust in council, the mayor, and the civil service.
The usual patronizing, paternalistic approach (from left and right, but esp from left), not following through on the miserly washrooms that are supposed to be open & making sure they are actually open, making sure city staff aren't closing early,
& not relentlessly challenging WHY they must close so early in first place (the back-yarded may enjoy the summertime stars without worrying about where to piss). A note to staff, public hand waving, & pointing at other councillors, every few months doesn't cut it.
Nor is taking the word of staff at the historically poorly run parks dept as reason to give up without relentless challenging This is a critical issue and council is fundamentally out of touch with how Toronto actually uses & needs its public space.
Park booze, encampment evictions & not helping provisional tiny shelter guy make them safer, overflowing rubbish bins that get bare minimum of service, etc. There is so much failure to represent Torontonians when they need it most. Announcing new parks w/out fixing all this 1st🤯
Trust implications here will be long and deep. You fuck up a beautiful, rare picnic day, eve or few minutes for emotionally & physically exhausted people in Morningside Park or G Ross Lord or Christie Pits w a closed or unmaintained washroom, it's an insult & they will remember.
If your councillor's first impulse when questioned about all this is to make condescending excuses rather than fight for you, even if it takes, say, tearing down and rebuilding the parks dept, or spending their political capital, vote them into oblivion. /fin /mute /backtowork
Update: friends who went to Riverdale East last eve report the toilets were open until at least 9:09PM (the last time the checked for my weird hobby). All it took was a bazillion people upset & intervention of local councillor. Will this be consistent? What about the others?
If you're upset about this stuff (and A LOT of you are) write your councillor and mayor. Ask what they're doing. And if you come across a situation like this where a toilet should be open and isn't, let me know here. Tag your local councillor if you can too.
Parks dept needs constant supervision, as does a council that has proven they don't believe in accessible access to public space, day or night. All councillors should be frightened at how upset people are at their approach to public space, toilets and otherwise. /FinAgain
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