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"Shabby Toronto"
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DSC
Superstar
News Release
April 6, 2023
City of Toronto plans for early opening of seasonal park washrooms
The City of Toronto is tracking weather forecasts, including the continued presence of ground frost, and actively finalizing plans for the early opening of seasonal park washrooms and water fountains this spring.
This spring, the City will activate 128 seasonal park washrooms and more than 700 water fountains which will be available to the public into the fall. Through the winter months, 54 public year-round washrooms in parks as well as washrooms at 47 outdoor rinks are publicly open and available. Portable toilets (porta-potties) are also placed in 46 higher-use winter park locations.
The City budgets more than $180 million annually for all maintenance, staffing and operation of approximately 1,500 parks, including the opening and maintenance of seasonal park washrooms. In 2023, Toronto City Council approved an additional $2.8 million in new investment to ensure seasonal washrooms and drinking fountains in City parks open as soon as weather conditions permit in the spring and stay open later in the fall.
Based on current available forecasts and conditions, staff expect to begin opening the first seasonal park washrooms by mid-April. This would mark one of the earliest-ever openings of seasonal park washrooms. Once the first washroom is open, staff expect it will take crews about three weeks to get all seasonal park washrooms, including any fountains and bottle filling stations that may be attached to those washrooms, open and ready for the public. It will take approximately six weeks from when the first washroom opens for crews to get all other water fountains and bottle filling stations open and tested for drinking.
In order to protect uninsulated seasonal washroom infrastructure (such as water pipes and drains) from damage that could result in costly long-term repairs, and facility closures, certain conditions must be met each spring before crews can get to work, including:
• daytime and evening temperatures must be consistently above zero degrees (for at least five to seven consecutive days)
• the ground must be thawed and free of frost around seasonal buildings
• available weather forecasts must provide confidence that the threat of sustained cold weather has passed
Some service improvements residents and visitors to Toronto can expect to experience this year include:
• More staff in place, including specialized roles such as plumbers and irrigation technicians, to start opening seasonal park washrooms as soon as temperatures and ground frost allows.
• Plans for a new online map to make it easier for residents and visitors to find public washrooms and track their open/closed status. The map will be available once seasonal park washroom activation begins.
• Improved peak season operating hours for park washrooms, open until 10 p.m. this summer, and later for park permits or events that run past 10 p.m.
• Extended season so that seasonal washrooms and water fountains will be open sooner this spring and later in the fall.
• New and updated signage that makes operating hours clearer.
Last week, City crews began annual spring clean-up efforts across Toronto. While overall maintenance and litter pickup happens year-round, Parks staff are also actively grooming and preparing parks, ravines, beaches, sports fields, and trails across the city to welcome millions of residents and visitors for spring, summer and fall.
The City annually makes available more than 2,000 water facilities in parks, including washrooms and fountains, wading pools, splash pads, outdoor pools, ornamental fountains, community and allotment gardens and irrigation systems.
April 6, 2023
City of Toronto plans for early opening of seasonal park washrooms
The City of Toronto is tracking weather forecasts, including the continued presence of ground frost, and actively finalizing plans for the early opening of seasonal park washrooms and water fountains this spring.
This spring, the City will activate 128 seasonal park washrooms and more than 700 water fountains which will be available to the public into the fall. Through the winter months, 54 public year-round washrooms in parks as well as washrooms at 47 outdoor rinks are publicly open and available. Portable toilets (porta-potties) are also placed in 46 higher-use winter park locations.
The City budgets more than $180 million annually for all maintenance, staffing and operation of approximately 1,500 parks, including the opening and maintenance of seasonal park washrooms. In 2023, Toronto City Council approved an additional $2.8 million in new investment to ensure seasonal washrooms and drinking fountains in City parks open as soon as weather conditions permit in the spring and stay open later in the fall.
Based on current available forecasts and conditions, staff expect to begin opening the first seasonal park washrooms by mid-April. This would mark one of the earliest-ever openings of seasonal park washrooms. Once the first washroom is open, staff expect it will take crews about three weeks to get all seasonal park washrooms, including any fountains and bottle filling stations that may be attached to those washrooms, open and ready for the public. It will take approximately six weeks from when the first washroom opens for crews to get all other water fountains and bottle filling stations open and tested for drinking.
In order to protect uninsulated seasonal washroom infrastructure (such as water pipes and drains) from damage that could result in costly long-term repairs, and facility closures, certain conditions must be met each spring before crews can get to work, including:
• daytime and evening temperatures must be consistently above zero degrees (for at least five to seven consecutive days)
• the ground must be thawed and free of frost around seasonal buildings
• available weather forecasts must provide confidence that the threat of sustained cold weather has passed
Some service improvements residents and visitors to Toronto can expect to experience this year include:
• More staff in place, including specialized roles such as plumbers and irrigation technicians, to start opening seasonal park washrooms as soon as temperatures and ground frost allows.
• Plans for a new online map to make it easier for residents and visitors to find public washrooms and track their open/closed status. The map will be available once seasonal park washroom activation begins.
• Improved peak season operating hours for park washrooms, open until 10 p.m. this summer, and later for park permits or events that run past 10 p.m.
• Extended season so that seasonal washrooms and water fountains will be open sooner this spring and later in the fall.
• New and updated signage that makes operating hours clearer.
Last week, City crews began annual spring clean-up efforts across Toronto. While overall maintenance and litter pickup happens year-round, Parks staff are also actively grooming and preparing parks, ravines, beaches, sports fields, and trails across the city to welcome millions of residents and visitors for spring, summer and fall.
The City annually makes available more than 2,000 water facilities in parks, including washrooms and fountains, wading pools, splash pads, outdoor pools, ornamental fountains, community and allotment gardens and irrigation systems.
toonderly
Active Member
W. K. Lis
Superstar
zang
Senior Member
But plenty for cops and the Gardiner.
jje1000
Senior Member
The more I reminisce on Tory's mayoralty, the more infuriated I get at the utter lack of vision and complacency and has caused many fixable issues to get worse.
It's like we never even had a mayor during the last few years of his mayoralty.
It's like we never even had a mayor during the last few years of his mayoralty.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
John Tory was a "conservative". He was also the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leader from 2004 to 2009. He was able to "talk" with current PC leader Doug Ford.
jje1000
Senior Member
You can still be a conservative and have a vision, for better or for worse.
John Tory just coasted, much like he did for his entire life.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
See link.
Six factors were considered when it comes to determining the world’s friendliest cities:
- Friendly staff: The percentage of accommodation reviews mentioning “friendly,” giving us an idea of how welcoming local staff are.
- Visitor return rate: The percentage of visitors who return to each city after travelling there, telling us if the location left a good impression.
- Community respect: The city’s safety index score, which indicates if it’s a safe environment for both natives and newcomers.
- Acceptance of diversity: The LGBTQ+ equality score in each city, which indicates if this is an accepting and supportive community.
- Happiness: The city’s overall happiness and well-being score, according to inhabitants.
- Ease of communicating through a common language.
afransen
Senior Member
I think most Torontonians would struggle to accept a ranking that shows Toronto as the friendliest major city to visit.
evandyk
Senior Member
Also, who cares if hotel staff are "friendly". What you're looking for is "polite" and "accommodating".
Northern Light
Superstar
I think, if you look at a couple of the criteria used, its not absurd, taken in the context of absurd listicles.
1) Acceptance of people of different cultures.
Not many places will do better on that score
2) LBGTQ friendly
Likewise.
3) Restaurant reviews mentioning 'friendly' in respect of staff...
A couple of notes about that.....one is how a domestic culture perceives such things.
Two, is that Canadians are less extroverted than Americans, but moreso than many European cultures.
Service in much of Europe can be 'cooler'. Not rude, nor unprofessional, just 'cooler'.
Last edited:
toonderly
Active Member
The chart appears to assume the common language is English. But regardless of what language it is, I'm not sure it should rate as friendliness.
DSC
Superstar
To prepare for Metrolinx’s construction of an Ontario Line connection to the TTC’s Queen Station beginning this spring, the City is working closely with Metrolinx, contractors and the TTC to ensure that traffic congestion and construction impacts are reduced as much as possible by holistically reviewing capital construction plans, upcoming road restrictions and accessibility around all construction zones downtown.
The City will be launching Priority Travel Routes around Ontario Line construction zones that will be kept clear of as many road restrictions as possible – including non-emergency utility work – to ensure that there are alternative and parallel routes for people to get around.
The City recognizes the vital need for the unprecedented transit expansion underway alongside the need to keep people – pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers – moving within Toronto. Once completed, the Ontario Line will make travel within Toronto faster and easier by providing a 15-station subway line running from Exhibition Place, through downtown, to the Ontario Science Centre. The new subway line will also offer significant crowding relief within Toronto’s existing transit network.
Starting Monday, May 1, Dundas Street, from Jarvis Street to Bathurst Street, will be the first Priority Travel Route as Ontario Line construction will fully close Queen Street from Victoria Street to Yonge Street and Yonge Street to Bay Street. Until summer 2024, this stretch of Dundas Street will only have emergency work; on-street parking will be restricted and CaféTO Curb Lane cafes will not be installed to keep the roadway as clear of restrictions as possible.
More Priority Travel Routes will be identified as Ontario Line construction progresses. To keep traffic moving along these routes, some existing permits and bylaws may be cancelled or amended. Where necessary, these may include not installing CaféTO curb lane cafés, changes to on-street parking and deferring requested road closures for events.
Other ways the City is preparing for Ontario Line construction include actively assessing all construction permit applications and related Traffic Management Plans to minimize the overall disruption caused by construction. Staff will work to ensure plans promote the safety of people travelling in the area; reduce noise and parking impacts as much as possible; modify traffic signals to allow for the efficient flow of traffic; deploy paid duty Police officers and Traffic Agents to regulate and direct traffic; maintain access to properties; and identify key site access points and haul routes for construction vehicles.
City of Toronto Traffic Agents will be deployed to key intersections during the morning and afternoon peak traffic periods to actively manage the movement of all road users, reduce delays and improve safety. Traffic Agents will be placed where they are needed most based on evolving traffic demands. More about the Traffic Agents Program is available on the City’s Traffic Agents webpage
The City will be launching Priority Travel Routes around Ontario Line construction zones that will be kept clear of as many road restrictions as possible – including non-emergency utility work – to ensure that there are alternative and parallel routes for people to get around.
The City recognizes the vital need for the unprecedented transit expansion underway alongside the need to keep people – pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers – moving within Toronto. Once completed, the Ontario Line will make travel within Toronto faster and easier by providing a 15-station subway line running from Exhibition Place, through downtown, to the Ontario Science Centre. The new subway line will also offer significant crowding relief within Toronto’s existing transit network.
Starting Monday, May 1, Dundas Street, from Jarvis Street to Bathurst Street, will be the first Priority Travel Route as Ontario Line construction will fully close Queen Street from Victoria Street to Yonge Street and Yonge Street to Bay Street. Until summer 2024, this stretch of Dundas Street will only have emergency work; on-street parking will be restricted and CaféTO Curb Lane cafes will not be installed to keep the roadway as clear of restrictions as possible.
More Priority Travel Routes will be identified as Ontario Line construction progresses. To keep traffic moving along these routes, some existing permits and bylaws may be cancelled or amended. Where necessary, these may include not installing CaféTO curb lane cafés, changes to on-street parking and deferring requested road closures for events.
Other ways the City is preparing for Ontario Line construction include actively assessing all construction permit applications and related Traffic Management Plans to minimize the overall disruption caused by construction. Staff will work to ensure plans promote the safety of people travelling in the area; reduce noise and parking impacts as much as possible; modify traffic signals to allow for the efficient flow of traffic; deploy paid duty Police officers and Traffic Agents to regulate and direct traffic; maintain access to properties; and identify key site access points and haul routes for construction vehicles.
City of Toronto Traffic Agents will be deployed to key intersections during the morning and afternoon peak traffic periods to actively manage the movement of all road users, reduce delays and improve safety. Traffic Agents will be placed where they are needed most based on evolving traffic demands. More about the Traffic Agents Program is available on the City’s Traffic Agents webpage
Northern Light
Superstar
Many complaints circulating on Twitter and elsewhere as temperatures soar and park washrooms are locked.
That said, 311 Toronto did respond to the complaints, and it actually is somewhat encouraging.
Parks washrooms openings will begin this coming weekend and intended to be complete by May 8th, that'll be the earliest they've achieved most openings in several years.
Of course, if they would get on with winterizing virtually every washroom they have.....such that they could operate year round..............that would be better.
That said, 311 Toronto did respond to the complaints, and it actually is somewhat encouraging.
Parks washrooms openings will begin this coming weekend and intended to be complete by May 8th, that'll be the earliest they've achieved most openings in several years.
Of course, if they would get on with winterizing virtually every washroom they have.....such that they could operate year round..............that would be better.