Find Toilets
How can I find a public toilet in downtown Ottawa?
It’s a challenge. GottaGo! found 22 public toilets in downtown Ottawa in buildings accessible to the public. We call them “Ottawa’s hidden toilets”. Ottawa Watch and Ottawa Walking Tours provide detailed maps listing public toilets. There are also a few on the Ottawa Tourism Map. However, there are zero street signs indicating where to find them.
Are there any public toilets on Light Rail Transit (LRT or O-Train) in Ottawa? There are 4 public toilets in the LRT (Phase 1 Confederation Line, running east to west) – 2 in the terminus stations (Tunney’s Pasture and Blair) as required by the Province. And 2 in each of the node stations (Bayview and Hurdman) as a result of our lobbying. However, there are no public toilets at any stations on the Trillium Line (O-Train) running North to South. (Note: The Trillium Line will be closed for two years, from May 2020 for construction and expansion). GottaGo! is advocating for inclusion of public toilets in this expanded line.
Where does Ottawa stand in providing clean, safe and accessible public toilets?
Ottawa lags way behind many cities in Canada (Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver) and elsewhere (Japan, South Korea, New Zealand). Ottawa needs an extensive network of public toilets to serve the ever growing community. Some public toilets exist in Ottawa but there is no signage (see Ottawa’s Hidden Toilets). Historically, there were a few public toilets. For example, Union Station (now known as Government Conference Centre) was saved from demolition in 1966 as it had the only public toilet facilities in the city’s core at the time.
Downtown Ottawa’s Hidden Public Toilets
The ‘Downtown Ottawa Public Washroom Map’ was created by Andrew Hall and published in the website Ottawa In Depth Walking Tours as a free public service for visitors that shows public and publicly-available washrooms in Ottawa’s downtown. This is the best map of downtown Ottawa Public Washrooms found by the GottaGo! core team.
GottaGo! has identified 22 Public Toilets in Ottawa downtown, but zero street level signs to help visitors and residents locate them.
There are 3 Public Toilets (i.e. unrestricted access when not closed)
1. ByWard Market
2. Major’s Hill park
3. East side of Parliament Hill
And 7 toilets in commercial and other buildings (as listed in the Canadian Heritage Tourist Map)
1. Chateau Laurier
2. World Exchange Plaza
3. The Ismaili Imamat
4. Lord Elgin Hotel
5. Government Conference 6. Centre 7. Shaw Centre 8. Rideau Centre
And 12 Toilets in Public Buildings (access through a building providing a service to the public)
1. Tourist Information Kiosk
2. Ottawa Art Gallery
3. Supreme Court
4. Library and Archives Canada
5. National Gallery
6. Bank of Canada Museum
7. The Mint
8. National Arts Centre
9. City Hall
10. Arts Court
11. Ottawa Public Library
12. Bytown Museum
More Maps
The City of Ottawa has also released data on municipally-owned toilets in Ottawa. Public Washrooms. Many are open only for a few weeks in the summer or only during program hours, there are no adult changing stations and only a few baby-changing washrooms. For further information, see the report entitled ‘Flushing Inequality’.
