Canadian Retail Thread

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

my friend was at an old Mcdonald's on Granville Street in downtown Vancouver waiting for his order at the counter and a vagrant came in and dropped his pants in the middle of the lobby area and took a big dump. My friend and everyone else just fled the place and he never went back.

Most McDonald's and fast food and coffee places here keep their bathrooms locked, even suburban ones so you need to get a key or buzzed in to use the facilities. Is that pretty standard across the country these days?

Who knows. Maybe he was denied a key last time he went and this was pay back. Bathrooms are a basic human right. It's not just the homeless, but people with IBS, Crones, Colitis. On the one hand, why should a private business give public access to their facilities, but on the other hand... Cities should do a better job at providing public facilities, or maybe give tax incentives to businesses who do. A system needs to be worked out.

But yeah, in Ottawa, outside of the pandemic when washrooms were inaccessible, I'll say 50/50 balance between open to anyone and needing to ask for a key. Even in the suburbs some businesses have signs saying customers only.

[Acajack]

Gatineau seems pretty wide open everywhere except for maybe one street in the downtown Vieux-Hull sector (promenade du Portage).

Montreal inner city (especially downtown) tends towards being locked up of course, and Montreal suburbs tend to be pretty open in my experience.

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Who knows. Maybe he was denied a key last time he went and this was pay back. Bathrooms are a basic human right. It's not just the homeless, but people with IBS, Crones, Colitis. On the one hand, why should a private business give public access to their facilities, but on the other hand... Cities should do a better job at providing public facilities, or maybe give tax incentives to businesses who do. A system needs to be worked out.

But yeah, in Ottawa, outside of the pandemic when washrooms were inaccessible, I'll say 50/50 balance between open to anyone and needing to ask for a key. Even in the suburbs some businesses have signs saying customers only.

The fear of not being able to find a toilet when needed keeps many people at home. I'll echo that bathrooms are a basic human right. This pic is at the hilltop fortress in Lisbon...very near the main entrance and right on the street.

20230202_122103 by AJ Forsythe, on Flickr

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Arrdeeharharharbour

The fear of not being able to find a toilet when needed keeps many people at home. I'll echo that bathrooms are a basic human right. This pic is at the hilltop fortress in Lisbon...very near the main entrance and right on the street.

In most places there are paid public washrooms. The problem is Canadians freak out at the thought of paying for things and expect McDonalds and Starbucks to subsidize washrooms.

[Acajack]

Funny how Americans (and no doubt many Canadians) used to complain about paid washrooms in Europe, but this was before businesses in their cities started locking up and reserving theirs for clients only, and the increased presence of feces on their streets.

The European way doesn't look so bad anymore.

Paying 0.50 euro cents isn't so bad compared to the cheapest thing you can buy at McDonald's or Starbucks that will make you a "customer".

[J.OT13]

I'm fine with paying for a washroom (to a certain point, maybe a dollar max) as long as it's clean, but then that opens a can of worms on accessibility for the homeless. Do they get free dirty bathrooms, or nothing?

[casper]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Funny how Americans (and no doubt many Canadians) used to complain about paid washrooms in Europe, but this was before businesses in their cities started locking up and reserving theirs for clients only, and the increased presence of feces on their streets.

The European way doesn't look so bad anymore.

Paying 0.50 euro cents isn't so bad compared to the cheapest thing you can buy at McDonald's or Starbucks that will make you a "customer".

I am ok in pay as well as long as it takes credit cards.

In Vancouver, the cities has been installing automated washrooms (that are free). I have only ever used the one near the Art Galley. Here is a video of the one near Pigeon Park. Yes, I know Pigeon Park is a "challenging" are of the city to do much of anything.

• Video Link

[MonctonRad]

They installed a self cleaning automatic toilet on the plaza in front of city hall in Moncton the other year. Critics said that it would only be used by addicts shooting up, and, sure enough they found a body in there within six months - dead from an OD.

[WhipperSnapper]

I had a good chance being able to walk onto any office floor and avoid the one lobby camera in the 1990s. Crazy times compared to now.


Anyways, I find bathrooms still tend to be unlocked. The ones that are locked/monitored tended to be abused. A usage charge doesn't address the abuse.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I'm fine with paying for a washroom (to a certain point, maybe a dollar max) as long as it's clean, but then that opens a can of worms on accessibility for the homeless. Do they get free dirty bathrooms, or nothing?

I know this sounds horribly heartless but on a practical logical level, I think we can assume homeless people almost all have a bit of spare change on them at any given time.

Paying 25 or 50 cents for a public washroom from time to time is probably better than being harassed or mistreated by business owners who don't want them to scare off their customers.

[harls]

I can't wait to try the 'new' Zellers cafeteria.

[WhipperSnapper]

On a practical logical level, wouldn't it be a missed opportunity for a homeless person to use a restroom for only its function of relieving oneself? There's hot water, soap, and, sink.

[esquire]

It would be nice if people didn't constantly misuse/abuse public washrooms. Maybe there might be more of them then. I can't blame business owners for wanting to limit access given the immense clean up and repair bills some of them must face.

One could argue that the public realm in Canadian cities has been declining for years now, but it certainly doesn't help that so many people are intent on abusing what we do have (transit, parks, public washrooms, increasingly libraries). Contrast with countries that don't have the "anything goes" ethos that we do... for example, the typical Tokyo subway station bathroom. Probably cleaner and tidier than most peoples' home bathrooms. What would a public washroom look like in a busy Canadian subway/LRT/bus terminal? Not that great, I'm guessing.

[megadude]

Forget about public washrooms, look at office washrooms. There's always some selfish douche that doesn't want to use the urinal to take piss, which is fine, but will go piss in the stall without lifting the toilet seat up and not bother to wipe the seat. And you don't know who it is. It could be the guy that sits beside you or it could be the CEO.

Stadiums are on a whole other level. And it can't just be the drunk people doing it. People in general are at the very least, part time or occasional selfish assholes.

As for the McDonalds bathroom key, the first time I saw this was late 2019 on Yonge St. near Wellesley station I think it was. Only been there once. It was in the evening. It surprised me at the time but I quickly realized why. The only McD's I would go to in the city would be at the TD Centre and of course, that was just a food court.

The next time I saw this was last year in Scarboro during the day at Vic Park and Finch.

The most disconcerting thing I've seen at a McD's was in the Cleveland area, while entering the restaurant.

plumeria wallpaper

[harls]

Originally Posted by megadude

Forget about public washrooms, look at office washrooms. There's always some selfish douche that doesn't want to use the urinal to take piss, which is fine, but will go piss in the stall without lifting the toilet seat up and not bother to wipe the seat. And you don't know who it is. It could be the guy that sits beside you or it could be the CEO.

Stadiums are on a whole other level. And it can't just be the drunk people doing it. People in general are at the very least, part time or occasional selfish assholes.

My worst experience was with a Tim Horton's public washroom in Laval, QC. Someone left a mammoth log in the toilet, I am talking ARM GIRTH. The employees probably saw it and said, 'fuck no.. 15 bucks an hour this is not my problem'.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I had a good chance being able to walk onto any office floor and avoid the one lobby camera in the 1990s. Crazy times compared to now.


Anyways, I find bathrooms still tend to be unlocked. The ones that are locked/monitored tended to be abused. A usage charge doesn't address the abuse.

I used to use the Hotel washrooms when I was downtown. They were always safe, clean, and empty. The Sheraton was the best. Now most hotels require a room key.

That Vancouver washroom would work well in some of Toronto's more down and out areas providing some of the homeless with a bit of dignity.

[TorontoDrew]

There is an App to help you find nearby and public washrooms set up by the Crohns and Colitis Society of Canada. A few years back some friends and I were trying to think of a good app to create, we thought an app to find a washroom with ratings and reviews would be good. We looked it up and there were already some established ones out there.

https://crohnsandcolitis.ca/Support-...%20Touchscreen.

[megadude]

Would use the Marriott washroom just north of the Dome after games or whatever we were down there for. That and to use their fancy coffee machine. Probably did this four or five times. Never saw anyone give us a suspicious look. We'd even sit down to drink our coffee and read the magazines or paper. Sometimes there was only a handful of people in the lobby sometimes there were 20. I guess as long as there wasn't a pattern of messing things up they didn't really care to be checking everyone. That and fear of disrespecting actual guests if you weren't sure.

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

I used to use the Hotel washrooms when I was downtown. They were always safe, clean, and empty. The Sheraton was the best. Now most hotels require a room key.

That Vancouver washroom would work well in some of Toronto's more down and out areas providing some of the homeless with a bit of dignity.

[le calmar]

Originally Posted by harls

My worst experience was with a Tim Horton's public washroom in Laval, QC. Someone left a mammoth log in the toilet, I am talking ARM GIRTH. The employees probably saw it and said, 'fuck no.. 15 bucks an hour this is not my problem'.

I wish I didn’t read that while I was eating. You should have put it in a spoiler SHH-style.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Who knows. Maybe he was denied a key last time he went and this was pay back. Bathrooms are a basic human right. It's not just the homeless, but people with IBS, Crones, Colitis. On the one hand, why should a private business give public access to their facilities, but on the other hand... Cities should do a better job at providing public facilities, or maybe give tax incentives to businesses who do. A system needs to be worked out.

But yeah, in Ottawa, outside of the pandemic when washrooms were inaccessible, I'll say 50/50 balance between open to anyone and needing to ask for a key. Even in the suburbs some businesses have signs saying customers only.

This is a particularly bad problem in Downtown Vancouver, including on the transit system. Not a single SkyTrain station has a washroom, except at Waterfront where it's located in the SeaBus waiting area - fairly far out of the way.

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I'm fine with paying for a washroom (to a certain point, maybe a dollar max) as long as it's clean, but then that opens a can of worms on accessibility for the homeless. Do they get free dirty bathrooms, or nothing?

I've seen this in Mexico. Last time I was there, I used one at a rest stop along a highway north of Mexico City, there was a guy outside collecting 50 centavos (about 3 cents CAD). It wasn't the worst public washroom I'd seen, but it was run down and not particularly clean.

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

There is an App to help you find nearby and public washrooms set up by the Crohns and Colitis Society of Canada. A few years back some friends and I were trying to think of a good app to create, we thought an app to find a washroom with ratings and reviews would be good. We looked it up and there were already some established ones out there.

George Costanza had this idea.