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Please open Dufferin Park washrooms now

Request: April 18 2006

Please arrange for the field house washrooms to be open now.

Right now, last week and today, there are so many people using the park and so there is too much open urination.

Below you see the photo of the men's washroom door-frame, rusted and corroded from guys (e.g. the basketball youth, the kids practising soccer) urinating against the locked door. They do that 20 times a day now, also around the corner against the puppetry workshop doors. It stinks and is unsanitary. They are not trying to be difficult -- they just need to pee.

A City policy of not opening park washrooms when the parks fill up in spring is an exact parallel to the rink season. The City doesn't open the rinks as soon as the cold weather makes people want to skate, and the City doesn't open the washrooms as soon as the warm weather makes people want to frolic in the park. Only it's way cheaper to open the washrooms on time. The City needs to adapt to people's usage instead of sticking their heads in the sand.

I hope you will agree. I think for the next ten days (until the Local 416 maintenance crew can take over) the rec staff can keep the toilet paper stocked and clean messes off the floor, just like they do at the rink house. The field house washrooms are more central to the park than the rink house, and there's less to vandalize when no staff are in the building.

staff request April 18

I’m still waiting to hear about the washroom opening. Particularly because we are looking at having a very warm week, with a lot of people at the park. David Anderson at the field house has been saying that people are using the door of the field house washrooms as a toilet many times a day. Additionally, there is the concern of public health – with the warm weather; the fly/bug population will multiply in any pools of waste or water. What is the city policy on this? Mayssan

Response April 18 2006

I would ask the rec staff not open the washrooms in the park. When the rec staff are in, the club house washrooms can be open. I am not sure if this is a shrinking of services from last year. The paysheets indicate an increase in staffing in June not April. An exception is already being made for Dufferin Grove by opening the washrooms a week earlier, I hope it does not rain that whole week

Additional Response April 18 2006

Please note; Although all of the Parks washrooms do not open until May 1st as a rule, we will get Dufferin opened regularly (seven days a week) as of April 26th. and we will keep them open until the end of September.

Repeat request April 18 2006

Until this year, Dufferin Grove Park washrooms opened as soon as the park filled up. On these sunny days, there are often 100 - 200 people in the park. If there are no maintenance staff yet to service the washrooms, perhaps the rec staff could open them beginning tomorrow, and stock them with paper?

I'm glad that the rec staff's request has led to an earlier opening, but why not now instead of ten days from now? Otherwise, this is a shrinking of the services from last year. Parks have washrooms -- let people use them. Everyone is asking, especially the youth, who are tired of getting yelled at for peeing up against the trees.

Response April 18 2006

Washroom update. Please note; Although all of the Parks washrooms do not open until May 1st as a rule, we will get Dufferin opened regularly (seven days a week) as of April 26th. and we will keep them open until the end of September.

Problem solved, April 27 2006

Washrooms were opened for the season. Since then, washrooms have been kept open until 9 p.m. most evenings and public urination has stopped.

From Jutta Mason to Parks supervisor Peter Leiss, Oct.15 2006

I just want to give you a heads up about the field house toilets, which your workers closed for the season on Friday I guess. Even though the weather is much cooler, the park looks very pretty now, and both days had lots of people in the park, i.e. large family picnics, the Garrison Creek "lost rivers" activities, and lots of sports. Still coming up is the Night of Dread which has 500 plus people at the outset and often even more later that night when it returns to the park. That's why the washrooms are usually left open until after the Night of Dread. Could you ask your crew to reopen them? (Am I right that Marjorie is not on lay-off?)

Please let me know if this is not possible, so that the rec staff will have to figure out a way to leave the rink house open.

From Parks supervisor Peter Leiss to Jutta Mason, Oct.16 2006

The washrooms have been closed. However we will re-open during the day. We have no staff available to close the washrooms later in the evening so we would be closing at 2:30- 2:45 pm. If the rec staff wish to have these open longer then they will have to make arrangements to close them.

From Jutta Mason to Parks supervisor Peter Leiss, Oct.16 2006

The washrooms stayed open all night all summer long so perhaps the same could apply until Oct.30? (They were never closed, and it seemed to work fine.) It's afternoons and evenings when most people are at the park, and the Night of Dread is in the evening.

From Parks supervisor Peter Leiss to Jutta Mason, Oct.16 2006

The washrooms will be opened and left open. If this turns into a problem we will have to reassess.

From Jutta Mason to Parks supervisor Peter Leiss, Oct.16 2006

hello Peter, thanks for getting the washrooms opened again -- compliments from several park users today.