The Mission
Our Proposal
GottaGo! proposes that the City of Ottawa & National Capital Commission:
- Ensure that open, clean public toilets and water fountains accessible to people of all abilities are installed at LRT stations, at Park & Ride lots across Ottawa including suburban and rural areas.
- Invest in signage, appropriate hours, staffing, improvements and maintenance for existing public toilets to bring them to a standard fitting to a national capital.
- Provide subsidies to private businesses in key locations in return for open access, improvements to their toilet facilities, oversight and signage.
- Add at least one 24/7 unisex, direct access facility accessible to persons of all abilities to public buildings in high traffic areas. Invest in at least two adult “changing stations” for users with severe disabilities.
- Require new developments in key areas to provide for unisex street-access toilets accessible to persons of all abilities as part of their permitting.
- Build/install new architecturally beautiful public toilets where required.
Challenges
What are the main challenges in providing clean, safe and accessible public toilets in Ottawa?
There are three frequently cited challenges: cost, cleanliness and safety. However, the main challenge is lack of political will and imagination by people in decision making positions in finding practical solutions. There are many examples around the world of less expensive public toilet options with easy installation, cleaning, maintenance and safety features. Germany, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Australia to name a few, have excellent, well signed networks of public toilets. Many cities in Germany, for example, pay coffee shops and others, a small monthly stipend to make their toilets available to the public, free of charge. On the contrary, public toilets are being closed rapidly in the name of austerity in the UK.
What does a public toilet cost?
- There is a wide range of cost options. At the high end, a self-cleaning (i.e. after each use) public toilet costs around $250,000 – 300,000. Montreal City is building 12 of these in high-pedestrian-traffic areas, at a total budgeted cost of $ 3 million. They are located with easy access to water and sewer service connections.
- Portland Loo (Oregon, USA) costs about $150,000 each. They are accessible, easy to install and clean, and it comes with safety features. Cities in British Columbia (Victoria, Nelson and Smithers) have installed Portland Loo toilets that are operational year round.
• A lower cost option, suitable for playgrounds and nature pathways, are composting toilets. Pierrefonds, a suburb north of Montreal, has 3 of these at an approximate cost of $50,000 each.
- A lower cost option, suitable for playgrounds and nature pathways, are composting toilets. Pierrefonds, a suburb north of Montreal, has 3 of these at an approximate cost of $50,000 each.
- At the low-end cost are porta-potties. In Ottawa, a 4 month rental with a cleaning service twice a week works out at about $5 a day.
There is also a cost to not having public toilets available. When people leave their home, hotel or workplace, many need to be assured of access to a public toilet when needed. This has been called the “toilet tether”. Without this security, some people will hesitate to go for a walk, visit shops or even to go out at all. Clearly, people who are unhoused must have access to public toilets.
Why are clean, safe, and accessible public toilets important?
Having a network of clean, safe and accessible public toilets is essential public health infrastructure to help us stay healthy. Public health in Canada is defined as the organized efforts of society to keep people healthy and prevent injury, illness and premature death. It is a combination of programs, services and policies that protect and promote the health of all Canadians. It is a basic human right and a moral imperative in ensuring human dignity. More than ever, COVID 19 has made clear that clean, safe and accessible public toilets is fundamentally a public health issue.
Public toilets are the most intimate way to show that we care and should be treated like any public infrastructure such as roads and buildings. For instance, elevators, benches, street lamps, parks, garbage containers are recognized as necessary to keep public spaces clean, safe, and livable. Public toilets should be considered equally as necessary.
To be re-designed for our post-pandemic lives, we need to re-think public toilets to enhance infection control. This could include changes such as: touchless or sensor taps, transparent soap dispensers, paper towels (not the air blasters), exit doors that open out, self cleaning and an attendant.
Concerns
The Ottawa Police Service agrees that toilets located in public or commercial settings can be inclusive and safe environments. They can be facilities that patrons feel confident to use, are easy to maintain, and are resource efficient. Design choices can be made that allow for easy cleaning and management, resistance to vandalism, and low maintenance requirements. Other capital cities do this, why can’t Ottawa? The increased staff required to maintain these toilets in a pristine condition could be an employment generator. Advertising on the toilets can help defray costs.
“Public toilets represent society’s finest aspirations about responsible civil behaviour. A great city has great public toilets” (Bridgeman).