Mayoral races are heating up around the province, and while much has been made about the Vancouver election, there is some noise being made in Surrey, too, in this case, regarding public washrooms.
The frontrunners in most people’s eyes are likely the current mayor, Brenda Locke, former mayor Doug McCallum, and councillor-turned-mayoral candidate, Linda Annis.
However, a promise that came from Imagine Surrey’s Mike Starchuk might raise some eyebrows, due to the pronounced lack of public washroom facilities around Metro Vancouver.
Starchuk, a former MLA, has made a promise to build washrooms at every transit hub and also at neighbourhood centres in Surrey. A statement from his camp says the washrooms would be in partnership with TransLink.
There has been some movement on highly requested transit-accessible washrooms in recent years, notably a now-live washroom at Metrotown SkyTrain Station.
TransLink has also suggested it would be building another washroom at North Vancouver’s Phibbs Exchange. Starchuk’s statement addresses the potential for more.
“TransLink’s 10-year plan funds six public washrooms for the entire region. The first opened at Metrotown last September. Phibbs Exchange in North Vancouver is next. Scott Road Station is on a list of places TransLink says it is doing early planning work to ‘potentially’ add one. Most of the new Fraser Highway stations are being designed with washrooms behind the fare gates that only an attendant can open. At that pace, Surrey waits. Riders and drivers alike are stranded,” Starchuk’s statement said.
“We can do better,” it added.
Starchuk said that under an Imagine Surrey council, the washrooms would be built by the City itself.
“It’s a basic thing, and basic things are what City Hall keeps skipping while it argues about the big ones,” said Starchuk.
“A senior shouldn’t plan their day around whether there’s a washroom at the bus loop. Neither should the driver.”
Yousef Aldabainah-Barakat, Imagine Surrey council candidate, also chimed in.
“Every parent knows the panic of a bus loop with no washroom,” he said.
“Building washrooms for families at transit hubs and in neighbourhood centres is long overdue in our city. A city of champions builds public washrooms, and that’s what Mike Starchuk and Imagine Surrey will do,” he added.
Surrey is not the only city dealing with a lack of public washrooms, as it has been a frequent complaint in Vancouver.
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