Headaches caused by a lack of washrooms

A mother of a baseball player is disappointed that washrooms are not accessible on all of Châteauguay’s baseball fields this year. She has had to return home during a game more than once this season due to her son’s urgent need to use the facilities.   Since the beginning of summer, the Châteauguay resident’s son has been afflicted with an urgent need that could not be held on more than one occasion. “It wasn’t just a little pee,” the mother relayed. In previous years, a chemical toilet was installed at the baseball field at Vincent Park in Châteauguay, the mother recalled. “I have to drive home quickly. He had to leave the game and then come back. A baseball game is long, it can last over two hours,” she mentioned. On another occasion, while at the same park, she asked whether a lobby bathroom might be available at the seniors’ residence located nearby. “In the end, a lady offered the use of her bathroom in her own apartment. It was pretty embarrassing, but when you have to go, you don’t really have a choice. I am very grateful for her help,” recounted the mother who preferred to retain her anonymity. In addition to those two incidents, during another game, she witnessed a parent from a Beauharnois team become angered at the fact that there was no washroom available for the 4-year-old daughter that accompanied them. “The person lost their patience, but I understood. They said in Beauharnois washrooms were accessible,’ she recounted. The baseball player’s mom also noticed that the washrooms at Gilbert/Alfred-Dorais Park, which are housed in a permanent chalet, were locked during a game held in June. [caption id="attachment_89163" align="alignnone" width="444"] Parc Vincent (Photo: Michel Thibault)[/caption] Obligations related to COVID-19 When questioned about access to washrooms in the municipality’s parks, Lucie Lamoureux, Special Advisor to the City of Châteauguay’s Director General, stated that chalets with washrooms are accessible “as they were in the past, for organized activities such as softball, baseball, soccer, football, etc.” The city has ten chalets with washrooms that are cleaned on a daily basis. “In the context of COVID-19, Public Health officials did not recommend the installation of chemical toilets, as they could not be cleaned or changed daily and the city’s administration followed that recommendation,’ explained Ms. Lamoureux. In Beauharnois, a washroom is accessible in a sanitary unit at each baseball field, confirmed the Head of the Recreation Division, Mr. Sylvain Génier. In Mercier, washrooms are open in parks to allow citizens to wash their hands on a regular basis, underscored the City of Mercier’s Communications Director, Mr. Vincent Lanctôt. “Employees from the public works and engineering departments ensure that the parks’ installations and equipment are disinfected twice a day,’ he specified. (Translation : Amanda Bennett)