Research
See below for a list of research projects, conducted on behalf of the GottaGo campaign.
2021
Are Public Toilets Safe? A Study of Issues Raised and Successful Models
This report discusses some common safety concerns surrounding public toilets: fears of violence, substance use and sanitation; and provides an analysis of what other cities have done to address these concerns. It concludes that when public toilets are openly discussed and planned for in a community without stigmatization, safe public washrooms can emerge.
MARIA DOIRON GOTTAGO! CAMPAIGN
2020
Our letter to City Councillors -Coming soon!!!
GottaGo! The Royal Flush: A Review of the Challenges Associated with Design, Costs and Innovations of Public Toilets in Canada
Melanie Fingold, Jennifer Luchuk, Katrina Mallette
SOWK 5013W – Community Based Participatory Research
Professor Pam Grassau
April 14th, 2020
2019
Exploring accessibility and inclusion in public toilets (August 2019), by Katherine Webber (Rodney Warmington Churchill fellow, Australia). This report reflects conversations Ms. Webber had with community groups (including GottaGo), advocates, local government, and industry in the United States of America, Canada, UK, Ireland, The Netherlands and Germany, exploring how they are developing innovative solutions to support inclusive and accessible public toilets.
2018
Ecological designs for public toilets (February 2018) by Salma Tihani (University of Ottawa). A summary of 11 ecological design proposals, including information about the company, country, waterless (or not), composting (or not), pros and cons, cost, odour control and comments.
No Place to Go: How Public Toilets fail our private needs, by Lezlie Lowe. Book launch hosted by GottaGo campaign. (November 3, 2018). Video coming soon!!!
2017
GottaGo Advocacy strategy (April 2017). This document is a detailed advocacy strategy for the our Campaign, done by Master of Social Work students at Carleton’s School of Social Work. As a part of strategy, Gotta Go! decided to re-focus our efforts on maximizing the existing public toilet infrastructure in Ottawa.
2016
Flushing Inequality: a research project to assess the state of Ottawa’s municipally-funded toilets. (May 2016). A team of MSW students from Carleton University working with GottaGo! looked at a large sample of Ottawa’s public toilets and found them sadly lacking.
Executive Summary
Full Report
2015
City staff report to FEDCO, November 2015. Recommended public washrooms in LRT stations (Hurdman and Bayview) and incorporating public washrooms in Stage 2. LRT-staff-report-to-FEDCO
Report to City Council about app to locate public washrooms (June 25, 2015). Report-to-council-about-app
The City of Ottawa staff report, May 2015. Report for Councillor Mckenney
GottaGo! Project Report
Carleton University, School of Industrial Design, February 2015
Over a four week period in January 2015, 46 second year industrial design students were challenged to develop public washroom concepts for eight varying locations in Ottawa. Each team made a 1:10 or a 1:20 scale model for their location, and this report explains the rationale behind their decisions.
The LRT Station at Bayview
The Kanata Park’n’Ride at Eagleson Road
The Ottawa River Bike Path across from the Naval War Memorial
Parc Optimiste in Vanier
Dundonald Park close on Somerset Street
Strathcona Park close to the Rideau River
Rideau Street adjacent to the Metro Car Park
Byward Market adjacent to the Public Car Park
Toilets Please for Dundonald Park (TP4DP) is a research report undertaken for GottaGo! about the need for a public toilet in a busy park in the centre part of Ottawa by Kristina Ropke in 2015. Ropke surveyed 282 residents, both immediate neighbours and people from surrounding high rises. Over 80% were in favour of getting a toilet. For many seniors and low income people in the apartment buildings, the park was their only access to the outdoors, but they were prevented from spending time there by the lack of an accessible public toilet. The full report is available here TP4DP report.
GottaGo! campaign Ottawa: Public Toilet Maps. By Sarah Good (April 2015). This project laid the foundation for a map of existing public toilets in the city. It provided the basis for the App, Ott/pee.
2014
TALKING TOILETS: Assessing the accessibility of public toilet provision in Ottawa, Ontario by Rachel Canham, September, 2014. This ground-breaking study looks at the way public toilets in Ottawa impact the lives of Ottawa citizens, and serves as a reference for municipal and provincial policies for a network public toilets in Ottawa. The research was done by interviewing 15 participants, (11 women and 3 men), with a questionnaire consisting of 15 questions about Ottawa public toilets. The interviews were analyzed, looking for common concerns about cleanliness, health, gender, monetary and security. The study concludes that: there are not enough public toilets in Ottawa, most public toilets are not clean, people are suffering mentally and physically because of the lack of Ottawa toilets, Women and children need extra toilet provisions. There are not enough wheelchair or assistive-devices accessible bathrooms exist, and pay-per-use toilets are not an acceptable solution to current toilet issues. The overall consensus of the participants is that the lack of public toilets in Ottawa are an issue that needs to be acknowledged and addressed by citizens and policy makers. Recommendations for Ottawa toilets by participants of the study included: more public toilets, better maintenance of current toilets, more toilets that are accessible for wheelchairs and assistive devices and washrooms that are open 24/7 all season, as well as provision for security issues.
2013
Solomon, Rhonda Cheryl. A Comparative Policy Analysis of Public Toilet Provision Initiatives in North American Cities: Recommendations for the Creation of a Public Toilet Strategy in Toronto. Cities Centre, University of Toronto June 2013.
2009
Government Response to the Communities and Local Government Committee Report on the Provision of Public Toilets, January 2009. Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by Command of Her Majesty, January 2009.
2008
Department for Communities and Local Government. Improving Access to Better Quality Toilets: A Strategic Guide. London UK. 2008. Focused on Britain, “ This strategic guide speaks out for public toilets: it reviews the evidence and sets out ways in which local authorities and their partners can secure improvements.
See below for a list of research projects, conducted on behalf of the GottaGo campaign.
2021
Are Public Toilets Safe? A Study of Issues Raised and Successful Models
This report discusses some common safety concerns surrounding public toilets: fears of violence, substance use and sanitation; and provides an analysis of what other cities have done to address these concerns. It concludes that when public toilets are openly discussed and planned for in a community without stigmatization, safe public washrooms can emerge.
MARIA DOIRON GOTTAGO! CAMPAIGN
2020
Our letter to City Councillors
Coming soon!!!
GottaGo! The Royal Flush: A Review of the Challenges Associated with Design, Costs and Innovations of Public Toilets in Canada
Melanie Fingold, Jennifer Luchuk, Katrina Mallette
SOWK 5013W – Community Based Participatory Research
Professor Pam Grassau
April 14th, 2020
2019
Exploring accessibility and inclusion in public toilets (August 2019), by Katherine Webber (Rodney Warmington Churchill fellow, Australia). This report reflects conversations Ms. Webber had with community groups (including GottaGo), advocates, local government, and industry in the United States of America, Canada, UK, Ireland, The Netherlands and Germany, exploring how they are developing innovative solutions to support inclusive and accessible public toilets.
2018
Ecological designs for public toilets (February 2018) by Salma Tihani (University of Ottawa). A summary of 11 ecological design proposals, including information about the company, country, waterless (or not), composting (or not), pros and cons, cost, odour control and comments.
No Place to Go: How Public Toilets fail our private needs, by Lezlie Lowe. Book launch hosted by GottaGo campaign. (November 3, 2018). Video coming soon!!!
2017
GottaGo Advocacy strategy (April 2017). This document is a detailed advocacy strategy for the our Campaign, done by Master of Social Work students at Carleton’s School of Social Work. As a part of strategy, Gotta Go! decided to re-focus our efforts on maximizing the existing public toilet infrastructure in Ottawa.
2016
Flushing Inequality: a research project to assess the state of Ottawa’s municipally-funded toilets. (May 2016). A team of MSW students from Carleton University working with GottaGo! looked at a large sample of Ottawa’s public toilets and found them sadly lacking.
Executive Summary
Full Report
2015
City staff report to FEDCO, November 2015. Recommended public washrooms in LRT stations (Hurdman and Bayview) and incorporating public washrooms in Stage 2. LRT-staff-report-to-FEDCO
Report to City Council about app to locate public washrooms (June 25, 2015). Report-to-council-about-app
The City of Ottawa staff report, May 2015. Report for Councillor Mckenney
GottaGo! Project Report
Carleton University, School of Industrial Design, February 2015
Over a four week period in January 2015, 46 second year industrial design students were challenged to develop public washroom concepts for eight varying locations in Ottawa. Each team made a 1:10 or a 1:20 scale model for their location, and this report explains the rationale behind their decisions.
1. The LRT Station at Bayview
2. The Kanata Park’n’Ride at Eagleson Road
3. The Ottawa River Bike Path across from the Naval War Memorial
4. Parc Optimiste in Vanier
5. Dundonald Park close on Somerset Street
6. Strathcona Park close to the Rideau River
7. Rideau Street adjacent to the Metro Car Park
8. Byward Market adjacent to the Public Car Park
Toilets Please for Dundonald Park (TP4DP) is a research report undertaken for GottaGo! about the need for a public toilet in a busy park in the centre part of Ottawa by Kristina Ropke in 2015. Ropke surveyed 282 residents, both immediate neighbours and people from surrounding high rises. Over 80% were in favour of getting a toilet. For many seniors and low income people in the apartment buildings, the park was their only access to the outdoors, but they were prevented from spending time there by the lack of an accessible public toilet. The full report is available here TP4DP report.
GottaGo! campaign Ottawa: Public Toilet Maps. By Sarah Good (April 2015). This project laid the foundation for a map of existing public toilets in the city. It provided the basis for the App, Ott/pee.
2014
TALKING TOILETS: Assessing the accessibility of public toilet provision in Ottawa, Ontario by Rachel Canham, September, 2014. This ground-breaking study looks at the way public toilets in Ottawa impact the lives of Ottawa citizens, and serves as a reference for municipal and provincial policies for a network public toilets in Ottawa. The research was done by interviewing 15 participants, (11 women and 3 men), with a questionnaire consisting of 15 questions about Ottawa public toilets. The interviews were analyzed, looking for common concerns about cleanliness, health, gender, monetary and security. The study concludes that: there are not enough public toilets in Ottawa, most public toilets are not clean, people are suffering mentally and physically because of the lack of Ottawa toilets, Women and children need extra toilet provisions. There are not enough wheelchair or assistive-devices accessible bathrooms exist, and pay-per-use toilets are not an acceptable solution to current toilet issues. The overall consensus of the participants is that the lack of public toilets in Ottawa are an issue that needs to be acknowledged and addressed by citizens and policy makers. Recommendations for Ottawa toilets by participants of the study included: more public toilets, better maintenance of current toilets, more toilets that are accessible for wheelchairs and assistive devices and washrooms that are open 24/7 all season, as well as provision for security issues.
2013
Solomon, Rhonda Cheryl. A Comparative Policy Analysis of Public Toilet Provision Initiatives in North American Cities: Recommendations for the Creation of a Public Toilet Strategy in Toronto. Cities Centre, University of Toronto June 2013.
2009
Government Response to the Communities and Local Government Committee Report on the Provision of Public Toilets, January 2009. Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by Command of Her Majesty, January 2009.
2008
Department for Communities and Local Government. Improving Access to Better Quality Toilets: A Strategic Guide. London UK. 2008. Focused on Britain, “ This strategic guide speaks out for public toilets: it reviews the evidence and sets out ways in which local authorities and their partners can secure improvements.
2006
London Assembly. Health and Public Services Committee. An Urgent Need: The State of London’s Public Toilets. March 2006. This investigation was carried out by a group of London Assembly Members on behalf of the Health and Public Services Committee.
London Assembly. Health and Public Services Committee. An Urgent Need: The State of London’s Public Toilets. March 2006. This investigation was carried out by a group of London Assembly Members on behalf of the Health and Public Services Committee.