Entry Island: access to public toilets remains a major issue

Many Entry Island residents are expressing their frustration with visitors relieving themselves on their properties.

They argue that the current situation is untenable, as the only public health facilities are those in the new multifunctional centre, located 1.8km from the port.

One of them, Ruben Aitkens, believes that it is too long a walking route for several people and that a single site is not enough.

Negotiations between the Municipalité des Îles and landowners on Entry Island to purchase or rent a plot of land to install toilets have still not borne fruit. (photo: CFIM)

This echoes the words of restaurant owner Brian Josey, who points out that the distance and the steep route make access difficult for people with reduced mobility or with young children.

He says he himself has seen visitors urinating and defecating near his restaurant, and that such a thing would not be seen elsewhere in the archipelago.

He refuses, however, to place the blame on visitors, being instead of the opinion that the access problem should be resolved by the Municipalité des Îles.

Asked to respond to the concerns expressed, Mayor Antonin Valiquette acknowledged that this is a “pressing” issue.

However, he indicates that the Municipality does not have the financial resources necessary to build new public toilets near the quay.

It should be remembered that the municipal toilets located on the wharf were open to the public until 2021, before being closed due to their non-compliance with health standards.

In 2022, facilities with an integrated wastewater treatment system were installed a few hundred meters from the port, a solution that proved too expensive.

Translated from the french article with the help of Google Translate

To listen to the segment broadcasted on Les preuves des faits (in french):

Residents’ concerns:

Mayor Antonin Valiquette’s reply:

Read more:

• Entry Island: residents feel neglected by public authorities (July 30th 2024)