Zoey Duncan
Smashed toilets, widespread trash, and human waste on the walls of public washrooms all are chipping away at taxpayer funds and tarnishing the town’s image, said Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown.
“All the parks and greenspace areas that we have, we have all these animal-proof containers and people are not utilizing them,” he noted.
“They’re too lazy to pick up wrappers and put them in the garbage can, so it is costing the taxpayers of the community money for people to go and maintain these.”
Along with littering, Brown said some people fail to adhere to the “poop and scoop” bylaw that requires pet owners to clean up after their animals.
As well, the handful of public washrooms around town—at the west-end boat launch, Legion Park, Lions Club Park, and Pither’s Point—mistreated, meaning people who are trying to use these areas are out of luck.
“They want to have the convenience [of a washroom], but we’ve got people that are wrecking them, vandalizing them, busting toilets, throwing garbage all over the place, smearing feces on the wall,” Brown said.
“All this is costing money,” he reiterated.
The vandalism already has prompted police patrols through these areas along with daily washroom checks, but Brown encouraged anyone who sees vandalism in action to report it to the OPP.
“These washrooms are a reflection on the town,” Brown stressed. “If visitors are coming to the town and washrooms are in bad shape, tell someone.”
