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Ball wants to see public toilets included in all planning projects, and provisions to maintain them.

There are relatively few public toilets in the city. There are nine automated toilets, mostly scattered around the downtown core, and another two are planned for the North and Jim Deva plazas, according to the city. There are also two “comfort stations” at Main and Hastings and Victory Square, as well as 94 public toilets in city parks (though the majority of them are locked up by dusk and none are open all night).

Meanwhile, major transit hubs like Waterfront Station have none and busy shopping and entertainment areas have precious few. That deficiency puts the burden on private businesses to offer up their facilities for public use. And whether it be out of fear their facilities will be frequented by drug-users or require frequent cleaning, many companies limit use of their washrooms to employees or paying customers.

But the lack of toilets doesn’t stop people from going when they must, and the consequences of that can be seen — or smelled — in recessed doorways, back alleys and stairwells all over Vancouver.

Other cities have experienced their own plagues of public urination and some have found simple solutions to ease the problem that could work here, including open-air urinals and paid, staffed facilities.

Many European cities use simple door-free stalls that men can step up to and relieve themselves in. These are sometimes permanent metal or concrete structures, and other times plastic fixtures that can be moved where needed most. They may be better than a back alley, but they’re not particularly private and aren’t without their detractors. San Francisco’s move to install one earlier this year was met with controversy and a lawsuit from unimpressed residents and one religious group, according to U.S. media.