Money for public washroom in Centretown a relief to nearby businesses

Jenna Ladd considers access to washrooms a basic human right — and one that's too often denied those who hang out near her business by Dundonald Park.

"Similar to food, similar to shelter," she said, "and if that doesn't exist, it's not their problem, it's our problem."

Too often, it is indeed her problem, as she graphically informed council's transportation committee on Thursday.

"We found human feces scattered along our laneway, on our walls, on our front door gardens, and urine splashed along our door, the adjacent fence, along our garage door, pretty much in every corner and every facet of the exterior of our building," said Ladd, who owns Iron North Studio on Somerset Street.

She doesn't blame the culprits, who may be homeless and have few other options.

"When you've got to go, you've got to go," she said.

But Ladd sees relief around the corner — in the 2025 city budget. It commits up to $1 million to build a public washroom somewhere in Centretown.

Court Curry, the city's right-of-way manager, said the money will fund one facility with two stalls. He said Dundonald Park has been floated as a desired location, though the city hasn't yet selected a spot and will rely in part on public consultation to find one.

Curry said the issue is long-standing. He called much of Centretown a public washroom desert, and said parents, joggers and tourists could all benefit from facilities. In his view, though, the need seems to be getting more acute.

"Certainly, in the inner core, we have seen a rise in public defecation coming out of COVID and the drug and unhoused crisis that our city is in," he told reporters.

Councillors question cost, worry about vandalism

Council's transportation committee voted in favour of the investment, which will still need city council's approval.

Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine said the idea has a lot of value. He said it could have widespread application, including in the suburbs. Still, he questioned the high cost estimate.

Curry said there will be a competitive procurement process. He said the $1-million envelope includes a contingency and is based on the cost of self-cleaning stalls.

"These two units, if they are self-cleaning, would be essentially like a car wash," he said. "When you finish going to the washroom, you exit the unit, the entire unit is completely sanitized over a few minutes and then it's available for its next occupant."

He said the city still hasn't chosen a specific technology. If there's money left over, it could fund other washrooms. He called it a pilot project that could be further expanded.

Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster, whose ward includes Centretown and Dundonald Park, called the plan exciting. But she said she's also heard some cynicism about the idea.

"I just think there's some concern about them being trashed, or about a high level of use and cleanliness," she said. "I've heard other examples where there's an opportunity to get the local community involved as caretakers."

Safeguards available

Curry agreed that, yes, the washrooms may require additional support — and said the budget allows for that.

He explained that some self-cleaning models also have special features that guard against the safety issues associated with illicit drug use in unsupervised spaces.

"They do have components within them that ensure they are safe for both the user and those outside of the unit," he said. "That can include special lighting, that can include an S.O.S. button, that can include the door opening that ensures that folks don't remain trapped inside."

He reassured reporters that, at least for some models, the automatic door-opening function can be overridden to avoid unwelcome interruptions when nature demands an extra-long stay.

"There's 60 of them in Canada, there's thousands around the world," he said. "We will endeavour to find the best fit for Ottawa."