When the Sunnyside lift station started to take shape, people who walk and wheel near McHugh Bluff thought the new washrooms would provide a much-needed place for relief.
Two washrooms were added when the lift station was constructed. The pumps have been doing their job, preventing flooding for years, according to the city, but the washrooms remain closed.
The new lift station on Memorial Drive N.W. helps prevent localized flooding in Sunnyside as well as overland flooding on Memorial Drive.
The city says construction at Sunnyside Lift Station is ongoing, including work on the restrooms, sidewalks and nearby fitness park, and that work is expected to be complete by summer of 2024.
According to the city’s utilities delivery team, the lift station has been functioning since late 2020 and it is currently working on the warranty items and facility security.
Across the river in East Village, two self-cleaning toilets were first installed in 2011 but the bathroom hours were scaled back a few years later after people were using drugs there.
Last year, Canada Municipal Land Corporation closed the toilets entirely.
Temporary bathrooms have been set up to the east and new washrooms are scheduled for construction in 2024.
Those experiencing homelessness are impacted by a lack of access to public washrooms and so are people with health problems.
The number of people in Canada with inflammatory bowel disease is increasing rapidly, expected to reach nearly a half a million in 2035.
“One per cent of the population will be living with a chronic lifelong disease, whereby they don’t know at any moment whether they’re going to have an urgent need to use the bathroom,” said Paul Kilbertus, senior manager of communications with Crohn’s and Colitis Canada.
“I’ve certainly heard from people living with Crohn’s and colitis about the need that they feel and the anxiety they feel about this,” Kilbertus said.
A program is helping people living with Crohn’s and colitis find washrooms.
Participating businesses have a sign on their door that reads “Go Here,” indicating their bathroom is free to use, no questions asked.
“There is progress but we would certainly would like to see more, and I’m sure many other groups as well would like to advocate for a greater access to washrooms for those who need them,” Kilbertus said.
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