Montreal to add 60 new public toilets around the city, increase maintenance

Projet Montréal leader Luc Rabouin is promising to increase the number of public bathrooms to guarantee access all over the city.

He says there should be clean, free bathrooms within a 15-minute walk anywhere in Montreal.

Over the last few years, the city added a handful of self-cleaning toilets.

Rabouin’s plan is to add another 20, on top of 40 chemical toilets in busy public spaces, maintaining existing toilets in park chalets and municipal buildings and creating a network of merchants who open their restrooms to the public.

The city will also increase signage and create an interactive online map to make toilets easier to find.

Projet Montréal says the lack of access to public toilets is a real but unsuspected obstacle for many, including families, seniors, workers, tourists and those experiencing homelessness.

“This commitment is part of our vision of a city where every Montrealer has access to essential services nearby,” Rabouin said in a news release. “Having access to clean and accessible toilets is not a luxury: it is a basic necessity for a hassle-free life.”

The city will use up $8.3 million of its cleanliness budget to do so and the toilets will be in place by the end of the term, it said.