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Subject: Re: GottaGo! candidate questions, Peter Karwacki, Ward 13 (Rideau-Rockcliffe)
Hi Meghan and Bessa,
Thank you for the questions, and apologies for the delay. Public washrooms are the most basic civic service there is, and Ottawa has no strategy for them. Here are my answers.
1. Park & Ride facilities.
Zero toilets at facilities we built to attract riders is a design failure. I would add washrooms to the Park & Ride lots as part of the transit capital plan, starting with the busiest lots and the O-Train stations. Self-cleaning units are the obvious option. Council approved two in 2025, and as I understand it staff then spent the money on planning to build one. I would ask what happened to the other and put the answer on the record.
2. Parks and the gap.
Start with an inventory. 177 facilities across 1,300 parks is a count of outputs, and no one can tell you which parks are actually underserved. I would publish a map as open data and set priorities by use: splash pads and playgrounds with children, sports fields with organized leagues, and the busiest pathways and riverfront. Splash pads and playgrounds first, because a child can't wait for a drive home.
3. Community organizations.
Community groups and sports clubs can partner with the city, but they shouldn't be the funding model. A basic service should not depend on whether a neighbourhood happens to have a well-funded association. Wealthier areas get washrooms and others don't, which is the same equity problem I raise on parks generally. I would welcome their help with design, stewardship and cleaning, but the base funding has to come from the city.
4. The $4,500 per Councillor.
That is about three porta-potties a summer, and it is not a strategy. I would support a large increase, at least ten times the current amount, so roughly $45,000 per ward. Better still, I would move the money out of ward discretion into a city-wide washroom budget with measured results: cost per site, days open, cleanliness checks, all reported publicly. The $108,000 total is smaller than many single consultant contracts at City Hall.
5. Funding businesses that open their washrooms.
Yes, I would explore it. Pilot it in a few business districts, such as the Beechwood, Montreal Road and Rideau Street corridors, with a small payment per participating business, a window decal and a listing on the city's map. The pilot should be measured. If it doesn't produce usable washrooms at reasonable cost, drop it. The caveat is that businesses can refuse people, so this supplements public washrooms and does not replace them.
6. Exterior signage.
Yes. This is the cheapest fix on your list. If the toilets already exist and people can't tell, that is wasted infrastructure. A few hundred dollars a sign across the city's buildings should come to well under $100,000. I would also put the locations on the city's map and open data, with hours.
7. After-hours availability.
Buildings that close at 5 p.m. don't serve a park used until 9. I would match washroom hours to the park's actual use: exterior-access washrooms where the building design allows, extended seasonal hours at busy sites, and seasonal units where it doesn't. Each site's hours should be published. I would also want 311 reports on washroom problems tracked and reported as resolved, not just closed. I've written about how much a "closed" ticket can hide.
8. Other efforts.
A single city-wide public washroom strategy with an owner, a budget line and annual reporting. Basic standards for light, heat, hot water and cleaning, enforced and inspected. An accessibility requirement for every new site. Comparison with cities that get this right, including Japan, where clean washrooms are common even in remote places.
9. Seniors.
For many seniors, a missing washroom means they stay home. If we want older residents walking, riding transit and using parks, washrooms have to be on the route: at major stops, stations and parks along walking loops. This ties into my platform position on free transit for seniors and students funded by tolls on the East End Crossing. Free transit gets seniors out the door, and washrooms along the way keep them from turning back. Accessible design, with benches and good lighting, should be part of every new site.
I'm happy for you to share these answers with your followers, community groups and news outlets.
Peter Karwacki
Candidate for Councillor, Ward 13
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