This Opinion article is part of a Narcity content series. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
I live in Toronto, and as someone who constantly needs to pee, the lack of public bathrooms available in this city is a huge issue.
To be clear, I have a lot of privileges — I don’t require an accessible washroom, I have an apartment with a toilet in it, and if I’m out and about, I can afford to buy a drink in order to use a bathroom at Tim Hortons or McDonald’s, or I can duck into a nearby Goodlife as I’m a member of the gym.
But what about people who can’t do that? Every single person needs to use the washroom, and it’s illegal to relieve yourself in public, so for it to be gatekept by those who can afford to essentially pay for the ability to use the service is mind boggling, classist and frankly, inhumane.
I’ve been fortunate to have travelled to a few different countries, and one of the things that I found utterly surprising was the amount of clean and accessible public toilets in Japan, particularly in Tokyo and Osaka. The public bathrooms in Italy, France and Australia varied in terms of cleanliness (Paris, who hurt you?), but I was generally able to find one whenever I needed it.
Recently in Toronto, my partner and I wanted to visit a park for a little picnic, and given the delicate nature of my bladder, I decided to research in advance what the toilet situation would be like. I was able to ascertain that there was indeed a public facility to use there, but when nature called shortly after my two Diet Cokes, I discovered that it was closed, so I had to purchase a few Timbits at the Tim Hortons nearby just so I could pee.
Even if those toilets had been open on the day I needed one, it turns out they’re also only open seasonally, so if I’d needed it in winter I also would have been sh*t out of luck — no pun intended.
Of the 70 TTC subway stations in the city, only 10 have bathrooms (a list of which can be found here), which is wild when you consider how many people use those services every single day.
Toronto doesn’t have nearly enough public toilets, so as someone who tends to need to use the bathroom often while I’m out and about, here are some of the places that I find are the easiest to use in the city without needing to pay.
Union Station
Union Station can occasionally be a nightmare if a home game is on or if there’s a big concert in town, but there’s no denying it’s a great place to use the bathroom.
It’s free to use, open to the public and open for a pretty good chunk of time. The facilities by the UP Express are fancier than one would anticipate, with marble accents and high ceilings. During rush hour, you might have to wait in line for the facilities, but it tends to move fairly quickly.
On Reddit and TikTok, people have mentioned that the bathroom in the lobby of the Fairmont Royal York across the street is another alternative, but you’re likely supposed to be a guest of the hotel in order to use those facilities, so I’m a little leery of that idea.
Yonge and Bloor
I used to live at Bloor and Sherbourne before moving to the west end of the city, and there are a few public spots that I rotated between when nature called.
All of the Toronto libraries are open to the public and have bathrooms (whether or not the bathrooms themselves are open is another issue), but the best one is undeniably the Toronto Reference Library. It’s big, clean and spacious, but it can be a little busy due to how popular that particular branch can be.
The Yorkville branch is another good option as it’s less busy in terms of crowds so you’re likely to have more privacy, but as a library, it’s just not as good, and it’s closed on Sundays.
A bit of a secret bathroom is the one in Eataly, inside the Manulife Centre — it’s always very clean, and I think it’s a space that not many know about, so it’s always a good bet.
West End
Despite its reputation as lowkey being a cesspool of hell, the Dufferin Mall has some surprisingly good bathrooms — particularly the one by the No Frills and BMO, which is a single-stall situation that is very, very spacious, although cleanliness can be iffy.
I live right by High Park and its bathroom situation tends to be pretty good in the summertime in terms of ease of use, but it can get a little hectic and untidy given the sheer volume of people (and children) that pass through there.
The other options
@vxjoan LETS RATE THE FAMILY BATHROOM AT STC #toronto #scarbourough #stc
Some of the other places I’ve peed at successfully and without incident include shopping malls like the Eaton Centre and Yorkdale Mall, Christie Pits Park, various Toronto Public Library branches, and gas stations.
I’ve also used bathrooms at Tim Hortons, McDonald’s, Starbucks and other fast-food locations, but depending on the restaurant, you might need to punch in a code to access the bathroom or get a key from the staff after you’ve purchased something.
Not all of them have codes or locks, but that is something to keep in mind if you need to go and can’t or don’t want to buy anything.
Most bathrooms listed in this article are pretty well stocked, but something to keep in mind is the fact that there might not be toilet paper, water or soap at whatever toilet you stop at, so it’s always a good idea to keep some tissues and hand sanitizer on you in case of emergency.
Everyone’s gotta go, and the fact that the lack of public bathrooms creates legitimate barriers for people is unacceptable — Toronto, please do better.
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