I would love to see a program like the UK’s Community Toilet
Scheme (CTS) surface in North America. The
idea of the CTS is to improve the provision of toilet facilities available to
the public. In short, a city forms a partnership
with local businesses whereby businesses offer members of the public free
access to their facilities in return for financial compensation from the
city.
Crohn’s and Colitis Canada has developed the ‘Go Here Washroom
Access Initiative’ (http://www.kintera.org/site/c.4nJIJXPrEbKSE/b.9268541/k.851B/About_GoHere.htm). This program increases washroom access for
people living with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or other medical
conditions related to incontinence.
As critical as it is for people with medical conditions to
have access to toilet facilities, everyone should be able to access a public
toilet when needed. So, this is a project
that I would like to work on. I would
like to implement a CTS-like program in cities throughout North America,
starting with Toronto.
No, the CTS program isn’t perfect. For instance, businesses retain the right to refuse admission in certain
circumstances and not all businesses will offer accessible facilities. And the CTS scheme doesn’t solve the
problem of lack of public toilets in cities; cities still need to step up to
the plate and find innovative and inclusive solutions to public toilet
provision, particularly for homeless people.
Despite its limitations, the CTS scheme does have its
merits, not least of which is the actual increase in availability of places to
go. So, where to begin . . . .
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