People are angry that Toronto golf courses are open before public washrooms

A common complaint among Toronto residents for the past number of years has been the issue of insufficient public washroom access in the city, and it looks like calls for improvements aren't slowing down anytime soon. 

The age-old debate resurfaced once again when former MP for Trinity-Spadina (and potential Toronto mayoral candidate) Olivia Chow asked on Twitter why golf courses in the city were opened before water fountains and washrooms in parks. 

The City operates five golf courses; Dentonia Park, Don Valley, Humber Valley, Scarlett Woods, and Tam O'Shanter, all of which officially opened for the season on Tuesday.

According to the City's website, staff begin opening public washrooms and drinking fountains for the season in early spring, although no fixed date is provided. 

If city golf courses are open today, why aren’t the water fountains and washrooms in parks? pic.twitter.com/5DHkggKSZS

— Olivia Chow (@oliviachow) April 4, 2023

Staff are instructed to check each washroom for winter damage, inspect pipes and fixtures, make any necessary repairs, and flush the pipes. The City claims that the entire process takes approximately four weeks and is weather dependent, with some buildings requiring extra maintenance. 

However, many Toronto residents have noticed in the past that some public washrooms remain closed well into the summer season, leading to lots of calls for the City to improve its maintenance process and access to public toilets. 

Water fountains and public washrooms don’t make the city money quite the opposite

— peter barker (@dirtybird9) April 4, 2023

Some people suggested that the City procrastinates on repairing the public washrooms because they don't "generate income." 

We need public bathrooms regardless of profits!

— nancy from sarnia (@imraneau) April 4, 2023

One person suggested that the decision to focus on opening golf courses first only benefits the wealthy. 

Because in Toronto, only the wealthy matter.

— sid freeman (@ssidfreeman) April 4, 2023

However, others suggested that public washrooms are not open yet because temperatures are still quite cold, meaning waterpipes still have the potential to freeze and burst. 

Is it because we still have temperatures below zero and waterpipes could freeze and burst? I don't have my sprinkler system on for that reason. Maybe?

— Sam Perri (@espytoronto) April 4, 2023

Despite a promise to open up in "early spring," many Toronto residents continue to struggle to find public washrooms in colder months, so much so, that a man recently went viral for giving tips on where to find the best bathrooms in Toronto.