National Post (National Edition)
Outrage greets Montreal plan for public toilet
Construction in Chinatown park halted
MONTREAL • Facing vociferous opposition from incensed members of the Chinese community, Mayor Valérie Plante said Tuesday she would review plans to put a public toilet in a park considered the heart of Montreal’s Chinatown.
The announcement came two hours after Chinese community leaders held a press conference to say the placement of the self-cleaning toilet in a park named in honour of the founding father of modern China represented a slap in the face, especially considering no one from the city administration had consulted them before starting construction.
China helped fund the reconstruction of the park in the early 2000s, they noted. The mayor of Beijing came to Montreal at the time to inaugurate the rebuilt square.
Plante said that she would meet with members of the Chinatown community and if they remain opposed, she would cancel plans for the toilet in Sun-yat-sen Park.
“If there’s no consensus, we’re not going to impose it,” she said, adding that she was calling for an immediate halt to construction.
“We’re going to stop the work, have a talk and decide,” she said.
The Chinese Association of Montreal has said the move shows a lack of respect toward the man considered the founding father of their country, and their community in general.
A number of Chinatown organizations gathered Tuesday for a press conference at the park to call on Plante “to respect Chinatown by cancelling the toilet project and to meet with them in person.”
It’s the third event in a little more than week held to protest against the toilet’s installation.
Organizations have complained that they were not consulted on the decision and have received no communications from the mayor, who is also the mayor of the Ville-marie borough where the park is situated.
Bill Wong, the secretary for the foundation of SunYat-sen Park, said they only learned a toilet was going in when they saw construction workers starting to tear up the ground in the small urban square.
The toilet was to be placed inside a red and gold pagoda, its entrance directly in front of a raised concrete stage used to hold numerous shows. Community organizations worried the toilet would create odours and incite members of the homeless population who already use the park as a respite in the evenings to take up more permanent residency. Several other locations in Chinatown are available and would be more appropriate, they said.
“That’s the greatest news we ever heard,” said Wong upon hearing of Plante’s announcement.
“But we’re still looking forward to meeting with her to discuss other issues of our community, like the high taxes and high vacancy rates.”
Wilson Wong, president of the The Chinese Association of Montreal, said the community took the decision to install a toilet in the park as an insult.
Youssef Amane, spokesperson for the city’s executive committee, said earlier this month representatives of the Ville-marie borough in charge of the project have held meetings with community members and the subject of public toilets has been discussed.
Community organizers at Tuesday’s news conference said none of them had been informed, and they don’t know who the Ville-marie representatives spoke to. They also complained that no one from the city contacted them after their initial protests more than a week ago.
The press conference was held with support from the Centre for Research-action on Race Relations (CRARR).
“This would be similar to building a toilet right next to some sort of museum to honour René Lévesque without even asking the family or the managers of the museum,” said CRARR president Fo Niemi.
“That’s how people need to understand the parallel.”
In April 2017, the borough approved a $3.6-million, three-year contract to install 12 public toilets equipped with a self-cleaning system downtown and in Old Montreal.
The first three toilets are being inaugurated this month.
Last month, the Ville Marie borough approved a $263,000 contract for preparatory work in SunYat-sen Park to install the toilet in the electrical room inside the pagoda. The toilet itself would cost roughly $300,000.
WE’RE GOING TO STOP THE WORK, HAVE A TALK AND DECIDE.