Kamloops father calls McDonald's sexist for removing baby change table from men's room

A Kamloops, B.C., father is calling out a local restaurant for being "sexist" by providing a baby changing table only in the women's bathroom.

Morgan Ruemper took two of his children to McDonald's in the Aberdeen neighbourhood of the southern Interior city recently to let them run around in the indoor playground after being cooped up due to cold weather.

His infant son, who turns one year old this month, needed a diaper change soon after arriving.

"I walked into the men's washroom and was shocked to find that, after some renovations, they had taken the change table out," Ruemper said.

He asked an employee, who told him there are no family washrooms and the only change table is in the women's bathroom.

"For them to omit a change table like that is basically making a statement that men don't need to change their babies," he told Shelley Joyce, the host of CBC's Daybreak Kamloops.

'Step in the wrong direction'

Ruemper ended up going into the women's bathroom which was briefly closed to other customers while he changed his son.

CBC reached out to Mcdonald's Aberdeen location, but hasn't heard back.

Ruemper and his wife complained on social media and McDonald's Canada responded on Twitter saying that, due to space restrictions, change tables are not available in every restaurant.

The company said the concerns are being shared with a local team for further review.

But Ruemper says the lack of change tables available to men is widespread. 

"I encounter this often," he said.

It points to a larger issue of how men's involvement in childcare is perceived.

"I can't believe we're even having this conversation in this day and age."

"I feel like it's a step in the wrong direction."