I would like to give you my opinion on this open air urinals debate.I do not like the idea of this and think they will not be
used,you got to remember that these people that urinate downtown are pigs.I think it is going to lead to other problems
for the police like fights and more people staying downtown longer.
It’s also going to lead to problems if females use these urinals(drunk guys and no privacy).
My opinion would be to call last call at the bars at 1:00am but do not close up until 2:00.That way the people have a chance
to finish there beers and still have a chance to use the washroom before staggering out the door.
Something else to think about is when you go downtown for a nice supper with friends and you pass one of these(disgusting).
I mean i do not understand why the city is catering to the bars,either close some of the bars downtown or get the bars to better control the patrons instead of just raking in the money and letting the city deal with the other problems that is
associated with this problem and others.
I realize the council is dealing with a very difficult problem but i think it can be handled a bit better then this option.JF~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I completely understand your objections to the public urinals and hope the following will address the points you’ve made in your email.
When the bars close the problem is the wait time for taxis to exit the downtown, sometimes it takes an hour or so for all individuals to be able to leave the downtown area. So whatever time the bars close there would still be a wait time issue. Even if the patron used the bar facilities before they left the bar, they would still need a washroom before they could exit the downtown. What goes in goes out but not all at once. I disagree with your comment that it would lead to people staying downtown longer as the incentive to stay downtown is both social and accessibility to alcohol. Both of those elements are removed when the bars close.
All citizens find public fouling of our City repugnant. It is a negative public health practise. In the meantime police are still charging fines, I’ve asked the police chief if that is a deterrent, it seems not. When you have to go you go.I’m not sure about your comment about females using the urinals, there is nothing stopping woman from using them but this is a pilot project and all users needs would have to considered if this became permanent. The main offenders in this case are males between 19 and 32.
We have no control over the hours alcohol is served, nor do we issue liquor licenses, nor can we close a bar down. That is controlled by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) or the health authorities. We cannot tell bar owners they have to stop selling alcohol at a certain hour or that they have to stay open for a time so the customer can use the washrooms. As for citizens passing the urinals on an evening out, I can see how that would be an issue with people and I would like to see how the people react to this in areas that have had the urinals in effect for sometime. I have to check but I think the urinals will be there Thurs. evening, Fri. evening and Sat. They will be empted at the waste department and cleaned. It would be my hope that they wouldn’t be there during the early evening but maybe after nine.
Since the Places to Grow Act has said we have to increase our population we need to get this issue under control before we can expect more people to live downtown. Downtown Guelph will change significantly over the next few years, legally licensed establishments will almost certainly remain.
I don’t see this as an act that caters to bar owners.The City of Guelph and the Nightlife Taskforce are committed to encouraging responsible behaviour on the part of both patrons and managers and owners of licensed premises. The objective is to create a safe and healthy entertainment district. As for getting the bar owners to better control their patrons I’m pretty sure only time a bar is responsible for its patrons actions is while they are in the bar or if they have been driving after they’ve been served too much liquor. To make sure I’ll ask the police chief. If you can suggest any legal or educational way we could make the bar owners control their patrons please email me about it. I know I’m not the only one that has been thinking about this for some time and I think all of Guelph would appreciate a better solution.
Edmonton, Victoria, Calgary, Toronto, Winnipeg and Windsor have all installed pissoirs or are about to.Edmonton has just finished a very successful pissoir pilot project. They located 3 pissoirs on Whyte Avenue during the busy weekend evenings last summer. Edmonton collected 500 litres of liquid each weekend. That’s 500 litres not directly deposited on to the street.
I do thank you for understanding that this is a very difficult issue and if you have any other concerns or comments please email me. Vicki Beard