Two pop-up toilets are part of a pilot project being led by the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ. (@DOWNTOWNWPGBIZ / TWITTER)
Temporary pop-up toilets have been set up in Winnipeg’s downtown to provide clean and accessible facilities for when you’ve gotta go.
The pilot project, a combined effort of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ and Siloam Mission, features a brightly-coloured structure outside Holy Trinity Church on Graham Avenue at Smith Street.
“Winnipeg used to have public facilities in the past and now they do again,” said Downtown Winnipeg BIZ CEO Stefano Grande.
“We knew those visiting downtown weren’t flush with options, so it is our hope these new toilets will be both practical and thought-provoking.”
The project was launched to provide free washroom facilities for the public, which are hard to come by downtown, unless you’re a paying customer at a retail establishment.
Staff from Siloam Mission will be on-site in the attached kiosk to perform light cleanup duties and answer any questions. Branded items, such as reusable water bottles, lunch bags, T-shirts, and original art cards will be sold, with all proceeds going to Siloam Mission.
The washrooms will be available Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., but organizers hope to eventually extend those hours into the evening and on weekends.
Funding for the project is under $100,000 and is being cost-shared by the BIZ, and individual city budgets of councillors John Orlikow, Jenny Gerbasi, and Cindy Gilroy.
