Share this Story : Gotta go? Here's where you can find Ottawa's public washrooms Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links News Local News Gotta go? Here's where you can find Ottawa's public washrooms "If Ottawa is to be seen as a world-class city, it needs the network of beautiful, accessible, clean and secure public toilets." Author of the article: Marlo Glass Published Sep 08, 2024 • Last updated 19 minutes ago • 2 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account.
The Ottawa Citizen toured around to check out some of the popular Ottawa downtown public washroom stops on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. One of the nice stops was at 1 Elgin St.
, the National Arts Centre's public washrooms on the main floor. Photo by Ashley Fraser / POSTMEDIA Article content It’s among a few must-have phrases for travelling in a foreign country. It’s a reality of daily life.
A feeling of familiar panic. Where is the bathroom? The Ottawa Citizen toured around to check out some of the popular Ottawa downtown public washroom stops on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024.
A less than glamorous stop was at 55 Market Square, the ByWard Market building. It was not so clean, had a propped open main door and also had multiple circling security guards outside the door, making for a disappointing stop. Photo by Ashley Fraser / POSTMEDIA Gotta Go Ottawa is a volunteer-driven campaign that advocates for a wide network of free, accessible and secure public toilets in the nation’s capital.
Bessa Whitmore, a member of the Gotta Go team, sums up the current status of Ottawa’s toilet network: “not very good.” Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
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Sign In or Create an Account Email Address Continue or View more offers If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is included in your subscription. Activate your Online Access Now Article content “Ottawa hasn’t done terribly well, we think,” she said in a recent interview. There are many “hidden toilets” around town with insufficient signage, she says, and they’re mostly concentrated in the downtown core, where tourists spend most of their time.
The Ottawa Citizen toured around to check out some of the popular Ottawa downtown public washroom stops on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. A less than glamorous stop was at 55 Market Square, the ByWard Market building.
It was not so clean, had a propped open main door and also had multiple circling security guards outside the door, making for a disappointing stop. Photo by Ashley Fraser / POSTMEDIA A less than glamorous stop was at 55 Market Square, the ByWard Market building. It was not so clean, had a propped open main door and also had multiple circling security guards outside the door, making for a disappointing stop.
Photo by Ashley Fraser / POSTMEDIA “Suburbia is built around the automobile. People use Timmy’s, coffee shops or public buildings, or they go home,” Whitmore said. “ It seems incredible that so many cities in the world have done so much better than we have.
” The ByWard Market building, in the middle of the neighbourhood, has public washrooms during work hours. After that, “the whole area becomes a public toilet,” she said. “ Everybody in the world needs to go, sooner or later.
And it isn’t only homeless people, only old people, only children, only people with Crohn’s and colitis. Everybody does.” Here’s a map of where you can find some of Ottawa’s public washrooms: The Gotta Go campaign advocated for public toilets to be included in Phase 1 of the city’s LRT Confederation Line, Whitmore said.
As it stands, only public washrooms are included in “node” stations: Bayview and Hurdman. Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Cities in Tokyo and Japan are considered world leaders in public bathroom accessibility, she said, as well as New Zealand.
Closer to home, Edmonton, Montreal and Vancouver have made great strides. A surprise was the new and improved all-gender washroom at city hall. Bright, spacious, individual stalls with large doors that give lots of privacy and a separate room for nursing parents with a separate changing table in that room.
Photo by Ashley Fraser / POSTMEDIA A surprise was the new and improved all-gender washroom at city hall. Bright, spacious, individual stalls with large doors that give lots of privacy and a separate room for nursing parents with a separate changing table in that room. Photo by Ashley Fraser / POSTMEDIA “If Ottawa is to be seen as a world-class city, it needs the network of beautiful, accessible, clean and secure public toilets,” she said.
Whitmore noted the city’s downtown revitalization task force penned a lengthy report in January 2024 calling for “visionary, transformative action.” That report only mentions public bathrooms once, in relation to an event, she said. “I f they want people to live downtown and go there, they need to go somewhere,” Whitmore said.
“And not in the back alley, please.” The washroom at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne was a tad bit grimier than it normally is. Photo by Ashley Fraser / POSTMEDIA The washroom at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne was a tad bit grimier than it normally is.
Photo by Ashley Fraser / POSTMEDIA One of the nice stops was at 1 Elgin St., the National Arts Centre’s public washrooms on the main floor. Photo by Ashley Fraser / POSTMEDIA One of the nice stops was at 1 Elgin St.
, the National Arts Centre’s public washrooms on the main floor. Photo by Ashley Fraser / POSTMEDIA Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Recommended from Editorial 'We can't do it alone': city council faces bleak financial future Dreessen: Ottawa can become a great city without nagging other levels of government Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Gotta go? Here's where you can find Ottawa's public washrooms Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Comments You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
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