A new pilot project is placing public restrooms throughout Winnipeg’s downtown for those experiencing homelessness.
The Places to Go – Public Restroom Strategy has opened facilities at 473 Selkirk Avenue, 26 Osborne Street and 345 Portage Avenue.
“Winnipeg has transformed since the last public washroom closed, and I’m happy to see this strategy moving forward to ensure there will be more places to go downtown,” Mayor Brian Bowman said in a release.
The city is spending $50,000 on the project to build seven temporary washrooms — part of $670,000 from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to provide COVID-19 related support to vulnerable populations. The remaining $620,000 will be used to build permanent public washrooms in the downtown area in 2021.
Additional washrooms will be installed in the coming days at 222 Furby Street and three units at 75 Martha Street.
The project builds on an initiative by the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ to install pop-up toilets in areas of the city more than two years ago.
