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An Ottawa city councillor is asking for a downtown public washroom plan and contending with a previously approved washroom facing cost overruns.
Somerset ward Coun. Ariel Troster was behind a motion that passed at council’s finance and corporate services committee on Tuesday asking staff to consider such a plan.
She noted that public urination and defecation is becoming an increasingly serious problem downtown and she’s facing the sight of human excrement on the street in her ward every day.
“This is a fundamental public service we are failing at and it’s a fundamental public health emergency,” Troster said.
As one option, she wants them to look at using the design for a washroom already planned for Bank and Somerset streets as a template to open similar facilities elsewhere in the area.
Washroom re-approval
The facility planned for that street corner was approved in the 2025 budget at a cost of $1 million.
Construction was expected to begin later this year, but city staff revealed Tuesday that it is now about $400,000 over budget and they will have to come back to council for approval before moving forward.
Marcia Wallace, the city’s general manager of planning, development and building services, said the cost overruns stemmed from a “more security-focused design,” especially in light of vandalism and needle use that forced OC Transpo to temporarily close LRT washrooms in February.
She said the city is no longer looking at a self-cleaning facility, but a more robust model that can withstand “mischief and vandalism.”
Beyond asking staff to look at expanding that design to more locations, Troster’s motion also asks staff to draw up an inventory of other public washroom facilities, including expanded hours and more cleaning.
She also pushed for partnerships with local businesses to expand the use of private washrooms through city-sponsored efforts for more cleaning and monitoring.