No pot to pee in

Montreal’s public washroom shortage stinks of neglect and homophobia

OpinionsJaiden Gales — Published September 30, 2025 3 minutes

Accessible public restrooms are not a luxury; they are a basic human need. As psychologist Abraham Maslow would say, they sit right alongside food, water and safety in the hierarchy of needs, essential for everyone’s dignity and comfort.

Montreal’s approach to this basic need has long been shaped by policies and social attitudes that ignored—or even punished—those who required access.

In the 1970s, former mayor Jean Drapeau had hundreds of trees on Mount Royal cut down to prevent the area from being used for illicit sexual encounters, a move rooted in homophobia. Suspicions are that the same mindset also drove the closure of public washrooms, and the few that remained were often used as a target and scapegoat for unhoused individuals who seek shelter in the few and far between public buildings. 

Today, the consequences of that infrastructure gap are felt by everyone in Montreal—from the unhoused population to delivery drivers, from those with chronic illnesses and those with disabilities. 

The lack of public restrooms effectively degrades the value and accessibility of Montreal’s public spaces. Public parks and the Lachine Canal—already scarce “third spaces”—become harder to enjoy when there’s nowhere to go.

It’s 2025, and we’re still constrained by decades-old, discriminatory policies. Montreal, it’s time to catch up.

“What about a coffee shop?” 

Local businesses shouldn’t have to bear the burden of shouldering a rise in maintenance costs due to increased usage of their bathrooms. And in today’s economy, Montrealers and visitors alike shouldn’t have to buy a $7 latte just to access a restroom. 

So, let’s ask ourselves: Why should anyone have to beg or buy for the right to relieve themselves? 

Luckily, there is a comment on a Reddit post, “Why is there no public bathrooms in Montreal?”, that lists public bathrooms in Montreal with details such as their location and hours of accessibility. It’s actually incredibly helpful and definitely worth bookmarking (just in case!).

And to my fellow tummy ache survivors: hope is not completely lost! As of summer 2025, the city has invested $45 million in “projects that were both proposed and selected by the population.” One of those is constructing public washrooms along the Lachine Canal and in various parks. 

Progress is finally underway, but it shouldn’t have taken our elected officials roughly 50 years to reach this point. 

Everyone deserves a place to relieve themselves with dignity. It is shameful that Montreal has historically neglected this basic human right that infringes on the overall experience of this beautiful city, both for citizens and tourists alike. 

Montreal can host festivals, build condo towers and continually undertake mega-projects, but somehow, a place to pee has been too much to ask.

This article originally appeared in Volume 46, Issue 3, published September 30, 2025.