Downtown Winnipeg businesses should get incentives to open washrooms to public: report

Drivers passing by the brightly painted structure near the corner of Cumberland Avenue and Sherbrook Street might not know they're looking at a public washroom.

The washroom, operated by the Spence Neighbourhood Association on City of Winnipeg land, was painted by local artist Jordan Stranger.

"We didn't want it to look like a boring old portable washroom," said the neighbourhood association's executive director, Michele Wikkerink.

The non-profit organization is one of several partners the city has worked with to set up temporary portable washrooms, part of an effort to increase access to facilities in and around the downtown area.

"Anyone who's been at the park with their kid and needed a washroom knows how important it is to have a washroom at times," said Wikkerink. 

"All of us have experienced that moment in public when you're like, 'Oh my goodness, I need a washroom right now.'"

Now, a city report suggests offering incentives to encourage more businesses and organizations to open their own washrooms to people who need them, or host a temporary washroom on their property.

"We've been leading a 'Places to Go' strategy, and part of that has included the use of temporary washrooms," said Chris Brens, manager of community development in the community services department with the City of Winnipeg.

"What we're looking to do is potentially augment that program and then work with community-based organizations, or private businesses, to see if we could support them, either through funding for additional cleaning or staffing … to enable them to provide greater access to bathrooms that are either existing in their facility, or that they may rent."

The city launched its public washroom strategy in 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses to shut down. 

It made three public washrooms available throughout the downtown area, in addition to the one operated by the Spence Neighbourhood Association.

Wikkerink said the response from neighbours has been positive.

"Going to the washroom in public was an issue in this area," she said.

"If somebody's desperate, that's what happens, right? So they were very glad to see that there was going to be a clean, safe facility where people could go."

The launch of the temporary toilet pilot project grew out of years of work by health advocates to increase access to public facilities.  

One problem they found is that the portable washrooms are not well suited to operating year-round.

While the city currently operates three portable toilets that are open year-round (at 185 Young St., 505 Furby St., and 400 Cumberland Ave.), the Spence Neighbourhood Association washroom at Cumberland and Sherbrook is only open during warmer months.

The city's only permanent public washroom in the downtown, named Amoowigamig, opened on Main Street in May 2022. 

Since it opened, it has seen a steady increase in the number of monthly visitors — 4,200 in December.

In 2019, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ did a survey to find out how many businesses had publicly accessible washrooms.

Out of 350 businesses contacted, only 46 offered their facilities to non-customers.

Community services chair Evan Duncan says the provincial health department should help.

"I'm looking forward to their budget and hopefully seeing a partnership with them to increase the number of public washrooms," the Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood councillor said.

The community services committee will consider the idea of incentives for public washrooms at its meeting on March 6.