People who use a public washroom in Old Strathcona say they appreciate the feeling of security that attendants provide.

“I wouldn’t feel safe unless they have security at the door,” Melonie Sharpe said Friday, outside the washroom at Whyte Avenue and Gateway Boulevard.

“This one, I like it because somebody was inside there and so it makes me feel more secure.”

Piyush Patel often makes use of the same washroom location.

“It’s always pretty clean and I’m grateful that it’s here,” he said.

The City of Edmonton is asking for feedback on public washroom facilities with an online survey that will be open for the remainder of 2023. It asks about 12 specific locations that have attendants on site.

The results will be used to to improve cleanliness, safety and accessibility, the city said.

The washroom attendant program was piloted in 2019. Attendants are from Hire Good, a program run through Boyle Street Ventures, which aims to give employment opportunities for those who may face barriers getting a job.

Attendants keep washrooms clean, count the number of visitors, and are given naloxone and training in how to de-escalate confrontational situations.

Cherie Klassen, executive director of the Old Strathcona Business Association, said the program has been transformational for the Whyte Avenue public washroom.

“Prior to the washroom attendant program, our public washroom was really more of a liability than an asset,” Klassen said.

“We’ve seen now with the implementation of washroom attendants the last few years, a complete 180 in terms of cleanliness, safety, how people feel when they’re using the washrooms,” Klassen said.

A report from Boyle Street estimates that the Whyte Avenue location had 56,000 uses between November 2019 and March of this year. The report notes that the location is more popular with men, with 36,000 of washroom visits being for the men’s side.

“We’ve seen a huge uptick in terms of use,” Klassen said.

“Prior to the washroom attendant program, our public washrooms had a very poor reputation. The businesses in the district really saw them as being an unsafe area, a place that attracted unwanted attention.”

Michael Janz, councillor for Ward papastew, said the main thing he’s heard from constituents about public washrooms is that people want more of them.

“Just part of living in a democracy, we should have public washrooms, public parks and then public water fountains,” Janz said. “These are basic human rights.”

He said washroom users are happy to have public facilities but so are nearby businesses, since it reduces the number of people asking to use their washrooms.

“I think it’s a very effective use of taxpayer money,” Janz said. “If you don’t like the public washroom, well, don’t use it. Go use a different one. But somebody else may definitely need it.”

For next steps, Janz said he wants to expand hours of existing washrooms and build on the attendant program.

Klassen agrees.

“People won’t walk long distances to use facilities,” she said. “Just like if you’re going to go use the bus, you don’t want to have to walk two kilometres — and so I think we need more of them.”

She said every public washroom should have attendants.

Samson Awopeju, the project manager of parks and roads with the city, said there are a couple of new locations in the works.

Two permanent washrooms are set to open this year, Awopeju said in a statement. One is at Kinistinaw Park in The Quarters Downtown, and the other is in the Alberta Avenue neighbourhood.

When nature calls, I feel like sometimes certain things kind of take a back seat.– Piyush Patel

In coming years Edmontonians can also expect washrooms being added to Warehouse Park, Beaver Hills House Park and Lewis Farms Facility and Park.

‘When you have to go’

Back outside the public washroom in Old Strathcona, Patel said he used to use a washroom in a retail business on Whyte, but it’s no longer available for customers.

“So when it comes to public washrooms … this is the only one that I know about,” he said.

Patel said he hasn’t used the public washroom at night, but would if he had to.

“When nature calls, I feel like sometimes certain things kind of take a back seat. When you have to go, you have to go — and you take that risk.”