By Pepper Parr
January 22, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Jimmy Sissons was part of the city staff for 42 years.
He worked in transit for 12 years and 30 years in public works tending to the streets of the city.
He was hired by Mayor Harrington on a part time basis and later brought on full time by Mayor Roly Bird. He is now retired – when he was out on the streets he didn’t miss much. He still doesn’t miss much.
John Street Transit Terminal washrooms are now for Staff only. Why?
He reported today that the washrooms that used to be available in the Transit terminal on John Street now have Staff Only signs on the washroom doors and bright No Entry tape to keep people out -– and Jimmy wanted to know why.
He tried calling the ward Councillors office – got nowhere with the Councillors new Admin Assistant (is that a surprise) but caught up with Lisa Kearns at an event and asked her to follow up.
Lisa doesn’t use public washrooms and didn’t put the problem on her priority list.
But it was on Jimmy’s priority list.
There was a time he said when there was one male washroom and one female washroom.
When Covid took over our world the set up was changed to a Unisex washroom and a Staff only washroom.
A plastic door with barrier tape keeps the public out of the area where the washrooms are located.
Now there are two Staff Only washrooms. People can’t even get into the area where the entrance to the washrooms are located
Not a big deal – until you have to go.
I recall an occasion when City Council spent more than an hour determining how many public washroom locations they could open during the Covid lockdowns.
Then went so far as to create a map locating the public washrooms.
Related news story:
During Covid the city opened up every washroom it could find
Well that’s piss poor.
I mean.. it IS called “The John Street” transit terminal – so for that reason alone.
Jason E.
Burlington Transit Terminal is a public facility and should function and be
indiscrimitably accessable for people with disabilities, socially disadvantaged,
and yes, even non fixed addressed citizens. This facility should have the same courtousy as some local businesses have with non paying customers. Difference
being, that this facility operates from tax paying citizens and should be open to
the public as such!
The city wants to encourage people to use more transit and yet does this? It is winter, it is cold and access to a washroom is vital for a lot of people. Shame on you Burlington!
What is going on in Burlington? This is unacceptable. This is a big issue in cities. There are groups who make maps showing where all the public bathrooms are, who plead for the right to have them clean and available and located all over. Some cities have businesses which put signs in their windows saying non-customers can use their bathrooms. We keep saying we want people to take public transit, and then we close the bathrooms for riders at the bus station??
You can tell a lot about the priorities of municipal leaders by how open a city is for residents and visitors with things like nice and plentiful public bathrooms, water fountains that are open all year, a focus on more greenspace and fewer parking lots and telling developers that no they can’t close sidewalks and roads for months and years while they build because residents have the priority to use those sidewalks and roads. That reminds me: how ironic that we let our developers close sidewalks downtown for so long while also building sidewalks in neighbourhoods where they aren’t needed nor wanted.
I’m reminded of a recent issue in Toronto about the need for more public bathrooms – homeless people need them as do residents who are out and about, kids and yes also adults who need one when they need one. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-is-a-city-flush-with-parks-so-why-aren-t-there-more-public-washrooms/article_b0b799cf-6a21-5e91-ad95-f2f186a83292.html
I agree with this from Toronto Councillor Gord Perks: “every neighbourhood should be a place where people can walk around and get a drink of water or use the washroom if they need to. It’s just human biology. Every neighbourhood, every day of the year, every hour of the day.”
You just hit on something that may be the answer, in the summer iv’e noticed a few buskers begging for money (is that the term?) sitting on the wall of the adjacent parking lot, are the staff being selective on who they allow into that washroom? Also I’ve noticed the odd homeless person sleeping in doorways.