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OC Transpo is considering how to safely reopen public washrooms at LRT stations after the vast majority were closed nearly two months ago.
All LRT station washrooms, with the exception of one at Limebank station on Line 2, have been shut down since Feb. 20 when someone found used needles at Bayview station that hadn’t been properly disposed of.
“It wasn’t just discarded on the floor,” OC Transpo chief safety officer Sabrina Pasian told last week’s transit committee. “It was left in a place that could absolutely injure a customer.”
Despite concerns over vandalism and public drug use, the washrooms in LRT stations can’t be closed forever. Under the Ontario Building Code, they must be available at end-of-line stations like Blair, Tunney’s Pasture and Bayview.
In a statement, OC Transpo says it’s now exploring both short- and long-term solutions for reopening. Those include increased washroom monitoring, public messaging and the installation of secure needle disposal boxes.
Nyasha Harper Michon, a Toronto-based architect and activist, told CBC that any long-term fix should also analyze the wide range of people who rely on public washrooms.
“A washroom is a space that should actually cater to everyone, especially our most vulnerable,” she said.
That includes people experiencing homelessness, those with disabilities, caregivers, and people who use drugs, Michon said.
Designing washrooms with those people in mind might improve safety for everyone, she said.
“It can be having dry counters for medical procedures … having the boxes so that they can put the needles in safely,” she said.
If OC Transpo is looking to create a safer washroom environment, Michon said it’s key to consult with people who’ve had experienced addictions or homelessness.
“It’s important to put the resources into thinking about this properly with the right people,” she said.
OC Transpo is considering a number of fixes that will allow them to reopen public washrooms at LRT stations across the city. (Gilles Taillon/CBC)Special constables could keep close watch
One of the options transit staff are considering is enhanced monitoring by special constables, but the details remain unclear.
Sarah Kennedy, president of the Ontario Special Constable Association, said keeping an eye on LRT washrooms can be difficult.
“Ultimately, policing and controlling the inside of washrooms is always going to be a public safety challenge,” she said.
One way to keep close watch, Kennedy said, is by using security cameras.
“You can monitor how long somebody’s in a public bathroom. And if it’s taking a super long time, the special constable can go and knock on the door.”
While those cameras would never be installed inside the washrooms, harm reduction measures like needle disposal boxes “need to be in there,” Kennedy said.
OC Transpo has not decided on a fix and has not provided a reopening timeline. For now, most O-Train riders remain without washroom access.