Public Toilets in Ottawa

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I wonder if it might be cheaper to strike a deal with property owners to keep their communal areas (or parts of them) open at night for the use of the washrooms. If it works with the Rideau, why not the PdVs underground or SunLife's atrium?

That would last right up until the first public sex, or gay sex, or public gay sex panic.

[rocketphish]

City's gotta go with more toilets: McKenney
Public washrooms could cost up to $400,000, staff find

By Emma Jackson
Ottawa East News, May 24, 2015


A precast concrete washroom like this one would be usable three seasons of the year and cost the city about $125,000 to install.

When you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go – and Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney is hoping the city will go towards installing public toilets in high-traffic parks.

The downtown councillor asked staff to analyse the cost of installing toilets in a public space like Dundonald Park.

What staff found is a huge variance in cost depending on your standards of comfort.

The options range from $1,500 a year for rented portable toilets in the summer months to $400,000 for a futuristic self-cleaning, fully-automatic vestibule.

Operational and maintenance costs could also vary widely. Staff estimated the costs between $5,000 and $100,000 a year.

While McKenney said she wasn’t surprised by the costs, she said it’s still worth thinking about investing in public facilities.

“People want to be out and active and you have to provide the amenities for that,” she said. “This is one of them.”

There are a number of groups in Centretown that could benefit from accessible public washrooms, according to a report put together by the Toilets Please 4 Dundonald Park project.

Seniors may be more willing to take part in community activities if they know there’s a washroom available and families could spend longer at the park knowing their small kids have somewhere to go.

Centretown’s many apartment-dwelling families would be better able to make use of a space like Dundonald Park, their only chance at a backyard.

“We’ve all been in a situation where you’ve been in need of a toilet,” said TP4DP community organizer Kristina Ropke. “It’s a very basic need we all have. We can all understand it.”

She said the issue is one of equity, to make sure that people of all abilities and income levels can use Dundonald Park without having to worry about access to a toilet.

As part of the larger Gotta Go campaign to include toilets at major transit hubs and public spaces, Ropke said the city is being short-sighted.

“If you want to encourage more people to use public transit, you have to do a better job of it,” she said. The group especially pushed for washrooms at Bayview and Hurdman stations, where there is little nearby to serve riders.

McKenney’s inquiry to staff didn’t get into the debate about transit station washrooms -- she stuck to Dundonald Park as an example of an urban space that can be well-served by a toilet.

She said her ultimate goal is to initiate a pilot project, either at Dundonald Park or at several parks within the core.

She’s also hoping to arm local activists like the TP4DP and Gotta Go campaigns with the information they need to lobby for these facilities in future budgets.

FLUSH WITH MONEY

Staff found a huge range of cost options if the city was to pursue a pilot project or a public washroom program in the future.

The cheapest option is to rent portable toilets at $1,500 each and then spend $1,000 to build a privacy screen around them. But these port-a-potties lack heat and lighting, so they’re limited to the summer season only. And they’re a magnet for vandalism, staff said in a report to the community and protective services committee.

Still, it’s not an unprecedented arrangement. The city currently sets up about 70 portable toilets each summer at various facilities to support park programming. That number swells to 120 units when the festival season kicks into high gear. The toilets are managed by the city but usually funded by the community groups and sports teams who rely on them.

Staff could alternatively install a “precast building” with indoor plumbing and lighting. These units still wouldn’t be useful in the winter, as they aren’t insulated or heated, but they’re durable and more resistant to vandals, staff said.

That extra comfort comes at a cost, however. A two-stall unit would cost about $125,000 to install plus maintenance.

Another, fancier, alternative is a custom-built washroom that would be in service all year round. Those two-stall units would cost between $300,000 to $350,000 to install, plus maintenance, staff found.

The priciest option available is one the city of Toronto has already committed to, and one that McKenney said would put Ottawa on the path to becoming a truly welcoming world-class city: fully-automated, self-cleaning washrooms.

These stainless steel contraptions are unlocked by a coin or token, and give you 20 minutes to do your business before the door opens and the sanitizing spray-down begins. The units are heated and insulated, so they can be used all year round, and they’re fully accessible. They cost $400,000 each.

Toronto plans to install 20 of them over the next 20 years.

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/n...lets-mckenney/

[ACmodels]

Transit toilets to offer sweet relief
Council considers washrooms for light rail stations

Ottawa East News
By Emma Jackson
Jul 10, 2015



The city will look at options to integrate public washrooms into Bayview Station as well as Hurdman when they're constructed as part of the light rail project in 2018.

For advocates of public facilities, it’s tantamount to a royal flush.

In a surprise about-face, council unanimously agreed on July 8 to consider how they might include public washrooms inside the new Hurdman and Bayview stations when they’re built for light rail later this term.

“It’s just absolutely extraordinary,” said Joan Kuyek, chairwoman of the Gotta Go campaign, which advocates for public washrooms across the city. “Common sense has triumphed over budget austerity.”

Staff will now consider how best to install washrooms inside the fare gates at the two stations, and also provide details on the possibility of toilets in the city’s stage two expansion plans – along with how much it all could cost. They’ll report back by the end of the year.

Mayor Jim Watson supported the motion, but only after he amended it to include the possibility of private sector investment to fund the project. He said taxpayers expect the city to “get creative” when it comes to these things, and getting the private sector to pay for it may well be the best solution.

“If we can reach out to the entrepreneurs in the community and if they can come up with a model that’s a win-win for the passengers as well as the taxpayers, I’m quite pleased to support that initiative,” Watson said.

For example, allowing coffee shops to open in the stations could take care of the washroom problem without any city involvement at all.

“We’ll keep an open mind and we’ll look for creative solutions,” he said.

Until now, the possibility of adding more toilets has been dismissed as too costly; as recently as June 29 Watson argued that many light rail stations will be integrated into buildings that have their own public washrooms already, and therefore don’t need city-operated facilities.

His change of heart wasn’t exactly the strong commitment of city dollars Kuyek has been looking for, but it’s a commitment to at least do something – and it left her fairly breathless with excitement.

“Quite frankly we didn’t expect this to happen,” Kuyek said. “I’m thrilled.”

An estimated 10,000 people an hour will move through Hurdman and Bayview stations once light rail is up and running in 2018. Both stations are fairly isolated; they’re stand-alone stations that are located far from malls or other public areas that would offer washrooms.

That’s exactly why McKenney moved the motion -- to improve the light rail experience for all riders.

“When you’re taking transit, you’re in a hurry, you’re going to work, you’re meeting someone,” she said. “To actually leave the station, go out into the mall, look for the washroom in the mall and then come back out, it’s difficult for anybody. You can imagine it for someone with less mobility, or who has two or three young kids with them.”

McKenney said she’s been hearing from residents for months that public washrooms should be a priority along the light rail corridor.

“(Light rail is) going to be a game changer in this city … something we can be very, very proud of,” she said. “But if we did hear one thing from our residents here at council, in committees and in our wards, it was that the one thing missing was the provision for washrooms.”

The fact that her council colleagues all supported the motion proves they too are willing to listen.

“We change our minds when we hear something over and over,” McKenney said.

A vast range of groups rely on easy access to public facilities: seniors, families with young children, the homeless community and people with special medical needs, to name a few.

It’s not so much if washrooms will get built, but how, McKenney said.

Her motion makes it clear the washrooms are a strategic priority for this term of council, which means council has a strong mandate to make it happen.

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/n...-sweet-relief/

[rocketphish]

Public washroom app for Ottawa could launch by summer of 2016
App would address campaign pushing for more access to public washrooms

CBC News Posted: Aug 26, 2015 7:24 AM ET Last Updated: Aug 26, 2015 7:24 AM ET

A "Where To Go" app should be made to map public washrooms in the City of Ottawa, which could help those who have to go and bring in revenue for the city, according to a new report.

The report crafted by City of Ottawa staff members, which will be voted on by the finance and economic development committee on Tuesday, advises city councillors to approve an app featuring a map of public washrooms, plus hours of operation and features of each washroom throughout the city.

Details about each washroom would include whether it has assistive devices, is able to accommodate persons with disabilities, is equipped with diaper-changing facilities or could accommodate a stroller.

This comes after a campaign by a group called GottaGo pressured the city to provide more restroom options to tourists, the elderly and people with medical conditions.

Part of the campaign pushed for more washrooms in new light rail transit stations currently being built in downtown Ottawa.

Coun. Jeff Leiper said the city needs more public access to washrooms, but in the meantime this app would help improve access to those currently located in Ottawa.

"This is something that we need to do if the city is not going to provide us the services that people were hoping they would be provided with," Leiper said.

In the report, city staff members say the app could avoid some costs by reducing a demand to build additional public washrooms from groups such as GottaGo.

If approved, the new app could be up and running before the summer of 2016, according to Leiper.

This app could also turn into a money maker by opening the floodgates to advertising, the report added.

Staff members believe the city could invite private companies to make their washrooms available to the public by listing them within the app, as well as advertise.

"This could become a revenue opportunity for the city as companies could be asked to pay for logo or other identifying advertisement kinds of dots on the map," the report reads.

James Rilett, the Ontario vice president with Restaurants Canada, partially burst the bubbles of city staff members. He said most restaurants need more incentives than an in-app advertisement to participate in any public washroom app.

"The city should definitely have a serious conversation and consultation with the businesses before they go too far down the road," Rilett said.

Crohns and Colitis Canada recently created its own washroom app for cities across the country to help those with the disease. The app lists businesses nearby that provide access to washrooms.

People living with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or other medical conditions related to incontinence often need immediate access to a washroom.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa...2016-1.3204099

[rocketphish]

Washroom app wins nod of approval from finance committee

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: September 1, 2015 | Last Updated: September 1, 2015 7:48 PM EDT

It should soon be easier to find a place to go in Ottawa.

With virtually no debate, council’s finance and economic development committee Tuesday approved a proposal to create a mobile phone app to direct those in need to the nearest public toilet.

If approved by city council, city staff will compile and publish data about its public washrooms and work with third party developers to create an app that will map the user’s location and the nearest open public toilet.

The proposal, by councillors Rick Chiarelli and Jeff Leiper, was in response to pressure from the evocatively named GottaGo Campaign, which has been lobbying for more public washrooms.

GottoGo chair Joan Kuyek told the committee her group was delighted by the city’s interest in helping the public find relief. She called it an “extremely important step” in fully supporting a network of public washrooms.

dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politi...om-finding-app

[rocketphish]

Self-cleaning toilets on city's immediate to-do list
$430K public washrooms among dozens of projects to be completed by end of 2021

Kate Porter · CBC News
Posted: Dec 18, 2020 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Ottawa could have self-cleaning public toilets on Sparks Street and in the ByWard Market, as well as Wi-Fi in more community centres, by this time next year.

The city has been allocated $20.1 million under a COVID-19 program funded entirely by the federal and provincial governments. City council will hold a special meeting Friday to ensure staff can submit the city's list of dozens of relatively minor but doable projects by the Jan. 7 deadline.

This particular bucket of money is meant for building retrofits, pathways and other projects that can help with physical distancing. They must be completed by the end of 2021, leaving little time for design, noted infrastructure general manager Steve Willis in a memo to council.

Staff have suggested a list of projects they deem achievable in that time, including a facility for the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa in the Heatherington area, an expansion of the Beacon Hill North Community Centre, as well as several pathways, pedestrian crossovers, picnic areas and LED lighting in recreation centres.

The list of projects would also see Wi-Fi installed in community houses in neighbourhoods such as Michele Heights, Foster Farm and Banff-Ledbury.

The GottaGo! campaign, which advocates for clean and safe public toilets as a public health necessity, was pleased to see two self-cleaning public washrooms make the list, each pegged at $430,000.

The group recently sent councillors a letter saying the pandemic, with the closure of coffee shops and other facilities, highlighted the city's lack of public washrooms. People with medical conditions or who are homeless especially need access to public washrooms, the group said.

"It's pretty important in high-traffic areas to have somewhere to go," said Bessa Whitmore. "It's non-partisan, and it affects 100 per cent of the population, so I'm just delighted to hear this is in their proposal."

City staff anticipate far more infrastructure funding to flow in the months to come. In his memo, Willis pointed to $100 billion in stimulus money announced by the federal government in November. Earlier this month, council approved the first preliminary step toward turning the Prince of Wales rail bridge into a multi-use pathway, so the city can be ready to apply for funding when the time comes.

City staff are also preparing applications under a COVID-19 program aimed at the long-term care sector.

To create housing for vulnerable residents during the pandemic, the city has received another $31.9 million under the rapid housing initiative to create 77 units for homeless men and women, and 32 units for families.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...lion-1.5845849

[J.OT13]

Wow. 5 years of silence on this, and this seems to have come out of left field all of the sudden. It's about time.

[SidetrackedSue]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Wow. 5 years of silence on this, and this seems to have come out of left field all of the sudden. It's about time.

The lockdowns have helped highlight the issue even more. I know we aren't supposed to be leaving our homes/neighbourhoods but for those who are going on longer walks, there are real time limits to how long we can be out now. Before I would walk home from downtown on a decent day. Now I wouldn't consider that since I'm not likely to have used a washroom down there before heading out on the walk and there will be none on the way home (except the gas station at Parkdale and Wellington.)

[Dengler Avenue]

I got takeout from Co Cham past summer. Then nature called after dinner. I went to fill up at the Petro Canada nearby. Their washroom wasn't working. I dashed across to Chatime and their washroom was closed. I ended up going to Remic Rapids to use the one there...

[J.OT13]

How public washrooms can aid Ottawa's economic recovery

Basic amenities support small businesses by making neighbourhoods more inviting for shoppers and tourists, writes Toon Dreessen

Toon Dreessen, OBJ
Jan 7, 2021 10:33am EST


Editor's Note: This article is sponsored by Architects DCA.


Creating a welcoming environment is no easy task for small businesses. Finding the right space, fitting up the location and attracting customers are typically top-of-mind concerns.

The old real estate saying, “location, location, location” is very true. If your business needs regular clientele walking past your doorway, you need to be in the right place.

How can cities help create the kind of community that supports small businesses? One way is with good public amenities. Most important to this might be washrooms.

Consider that in an area bounded by Tunney’s Pasture, Highway 417 and the Rideau and Ottawa rivers, there are 16 public washrooms. This area is home to 15 per cent of Ottawa’s population as well as most of the city’s traditional main streets such as Wellington West, Somerset, Elgin and Bank, as well as the ByWard Market – key places where we want to attract walkable density.

If a new business opens today, it has to provide washrooms for both staff and the public. (Older locations might be exempted because they predate modern building codes.)

But even if those washrooms exist, COVID-19 has demonstrated that they might be closed to the public because store owners are unable or unwilling to maintain them. And those washrooms are sometimes at the back of the store, meaning they may not be accessible to everyone if it involves sending customers through a crowded stock room or navigating narrow corridors.

Tourism and small business boost

Cities can lead the way.

The GottaGo campaign makes a compelling argument for why Ottawa needs public washrooms. This is a necessary public health service that provides a valuable resource to tourists, visitors, an aging population and people with disabilities. It is exciting to see that this advocacy has resulted in two self-cleaning toilets being on the city’s immediate to-do list.

Imagine if a network of public washrooms existed along our traditional main streets. Parents could confidently plan a day of shopping knowing there is a place to take their kids when, inevitably, someone has to go. It would benefit pregnant women and people with disabilities by ensuring that there is always a place to go.

In addition to making Ottawa more accessible and inclusive, it’s also a gender issue. The Royal Society for Public Health, in a report from 2019, found that women wait longer, in part due to clothing and menstruation. Similarly, UBC research identified this “potty parity” issue in a December 2019 study.

Also, because women are more often the caregivers, lack of parity in washrooms means “a huge line for the ladies’ room, with girls and women of all ages, plus some boys with their mothers, lots of little kids in strollers and... no line for the men’s room.”

There is good precedent for safe and accessible public washrooms. In the U.K., London has a famous network of public “loos” that charge about 50 cents for access. A similar amount is the expected norm for tipping at French public washrooms, though that price can go up to a few dollars in major centres.

These washrooms are staffed to ensure they are cleaned and remain safe. Contrast that to the mindset here in Ottawa, where the city’s multibillion-dollar LRT opened to grand fanfare a year ago but provided public washrooms in only four stations, none of which are downtown.

As a city, we have an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in public health and design. Smaller single-person automated washrooms could be located at bus stops and be integrated into welcoming spaces with local information about the community.

Larger, gender-neutral, staffed washrooms could be located at key areas such as parks or thresholds between communities. These could be designed to be sustainable, showcasing local features and community news, creating a design language for a community that attracts people to the area. This can also be a chance to provide equity with free menstrual products and redesign how we think, and talk, about washrooms.

Planning an outing, whether for fun or to run errands, shouldn’t involve a series of mental checks to make sure that there are stores along the way with available washrooms. As a city, we shouldn’t be relying on the goodwill of small businesses to provide a necessary public health service. These are routine bodily needs.

We should be supporting small business owners by providing public health services that can help attract customers to their doors. That boosts tourism and economic activity, while creating a more welcoming and inviting city.

Toon Dreessen is president of Ottawa-based Architects DCA and past-president of the Ontario Association of Architects. For a sample of Architects DCA’s projects, check out the firm’s portfolio at bit.ly/DCA-portfolio. Follow @ArchitectsDCA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

https://obj.ca/index.php/article/Arc...nomic-recovery

[kwoldtimer]

Staffed public toilets would be nice. What would people pay to use them, I wonder? A loonie a shot (so to speak)?

[J.OT13]

Apparently, there's a washroom behind West Block.


https://twitter.com/mchkzn/status/1380594622926356488

[mykl]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Apparently, there's a washroom behind West Block.

There always has been. It was just closed for reconstruction.

[rocketphish]

Hold it: Some NCC porta-potties only open on weekends
GottaGo! campaign wants reliable network of public toilets in Ottawa

Matthew Kupfer · CBC News
Posted: Jul 16, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

When nature calls on a weekday, don't count on using the purple porta-potties you see along two National Capital Commission parkways.

The portable washrooms along the Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir George-Etienne Cartier parkways will be padlocked in your moment of need because they're only open on weekends, the NCC says.

Meanwhile padlocked toilets on other paths are only for staff, it says, which would be indicated by signage.

No signs were visible at the Blair Road boat launch when cyclist Doris Schoeni came upon a padlocked portable toilet.

"What's the use of having one if it's locked? ... Then we just have to go in the bush, I guess, or hold it until we're home again," Schoeni said.

"Do they really think during COVID times the bathrooms are not being used?"

The federal agency, which manages some significant parks and amenities in the National Capital Region, has added eight portable toilets to accommodate people taking advantage of its weekend bike days and parkway closures.

The toilets along the two parkways are only open on weekends and they are considered a safety hazard during the week because they're too close to the road when vehicles zoom by, the NCC said.

The porta-potties on Colonel By Drive, however, are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the summer, according to a statement.

The GottaGo! campaign, which has advocated for a network of public toilets maintained by the city and the NCC, said the new facilities are a step in the right direction, but people need reliable options seven days a week.

"Good news is there's more porta-potties around. Bad news is sometimes they're locked, people can't hold it until weekends," said Bessa Whitmore, a GottaGo member.

The advocacy group has made the case public toilets allow people more freedom to move through the city, no matter their age or any health conditions.

"It's hard to know where people will find open porta-potties and general public toilets at any given time," said Whitmore, who wants the public toilet issue considered as part of the City of Ottawa's upcoming official plan.

Maria Edna Salazar, who visited Ottawa with her son Carlos Dermith's family from Vancouver, was able to find relief during a walk along the Rideau Canal.

"She was looking for it anxiously," Dermith said — translating from Spanish — along Colonel By Drive near the Clegg Street footbridge.

Salazar and Dermith both said accessible public toilets are important and should be open as long as possible.

"Every now and then she has to go. This, for us, was very lucky," Dermith said.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...lets-1.6104367

[J.OT13]

A few weekends ago, my partner and I took a walk in a few City of Gatineau parks and noticed that ALL OF THEM had porta-potties, which is fantastic! Is that a new City policy to provide toilets at all public parks?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

A few weekends ago, my partner and I took a walk in a few City of Gatineau parks and noticed that ALL OF THEM had porta-potties, which is fantastic! Is that a new City policy to provide toilets at all public parks?

Funny. I went for a bike ride on Jacques-Cartier today and noticed for the first time (I go there dozens of times a year) a sign for public toilets. Not sure what they look like though.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

A few weekends ago, my partner and I took a walk in a few City of Gatineau parks and noticed that ALL OF THEM had porta-potties, which is fantastic! Is that a new City policy to provide toilets at all public parks?

I think it's a Quebec thing. I never have trouble finding a porta-potty in Montreal and environs either. I was in Calgary last weekend, and same thing. Porta-potties are strategically located in public places and parks. Ontario is probably the hardest place on Earth to relieve oneself these days.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Harley613

I think it's a Quebec thing. I never have trouble finding a porta-potty in Montreal and environs either. I was in Calgary last weekend, and same thing. Porta-potties are strategically located in public places and parks. Ontario is probably the hardest place on Earth to relieve oneself these days.

Are you guys talking about the plastic temporary toilets like they have at festivals? Those things are ugly eyesores.

I wouldn't want those as semi-permanent fixtures in our parks.

Something like this is another story:

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.4079...7i13312!8i6656

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Are you guys talking about the plastic temporary toilets like they have at festivals? Those things are ugly eyesores.

I wouldn't want those as semi-permanent fixtures in our parks.

Something like this is another story:

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.4079...7i13312!8i6656

There is no way permanent washrooms will be built everywhere they are needed in Ottawa any time soon. It would take non-existent funding and non-existent will from all four levels of government. In the meantime, gimme some of those eyesores in Ottawa! Gray ones preferably!

[Acajack]

Public toilets off Rue Jacques-Cartier are in that building there:

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.4568...7i16384!8i8192