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gotta go? here's where you can find ottawa's public washrooms

"if ottawa is to be seen as a world-class city, it needs the network of beautiful, accessible, clean and secure public toilets."

by marlo glass

sep 8 2024
read time 2 minute read
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gotta go? here's where you can find ottawa's public washrooms
the ottawa citizen toured around to check out some of the popular ottawa downtown public washroom stops on sunday, sept. 8, 2024. one of the nice stops was at 1 elgin st., the national arts centre's public washrooms on the main floor. ashley fraser / postmedia
it’s among a few must-have phrases for travelling in a foreign country. it’s a reality of daily life. a feeling of familiar panic.
where is the bathroom?
the ottawa citizen toured around to check out some of the popular ottawa downtown public washroom stops on sunday, sept. 8, 2024. a less than glamorous stop was at 55 market square, the byward market building. it was not so clean, had a propped open main door and also had multiple circling security guards outside the door, making for a disappointing stop.
the ottawa citizen toured around to check out some of the popular ottawa downtown public washroom stops on sunday, sept. 8, 2024. a less than glamorous stop was at 55 market square, the byward market building. it was not so clean, had a propped open main door and also had multiple circling security guards outside the door, making for a disappointing stop. ashley fraser / postmedia
gotta go ottawa is a volunteer-driven campaign that advocates for a wide network of free, accessible and secure public toilets in the nation’s capital.
bessa whitmore, a member of the gotta go team, sums up the current status of ottawa’s toilet network: “not very good.”
“ottawa hasn’t done terribly well, we think,” she said in a recent interview.
there are many “hidden toilets” around town with insufficient signage, she says, and they’re mostly concentrated in the downtown core, where tourists spend most of their time.
the ottawa citizen toured around to check out some of the popular ottawa downtown public washroom stops on sunday, sept. 8, 2024. a less than glamorous stop was at 55 market square, the byward market building. it was not so clean, had a propped open main door and also had multiple circling security guards outside the door, making for a disappointing stop.
the ottawa citizen toured around to check out some of the popular ottawa downtown public washroom stops on sunday, sept. 8, 2024. a less than glamorous stop was at 55 market square, the byward market building. it was not so clean, had a propped open main door and also had multiple circling security guards outside the door, making for a disappointing stop. ashley fraser / postmedia
a less than glamorous stop was at 55 market square, the byward market building. it was not so clean, had a propped open main door and also had multiple circling security guards outside the door, making for a disappointing stop.
a less than glamorous stop was at 55 market square, the byward market building. it was not so clean, had a propped open main door and also had multiple circling security guards outside the door, making for a disappointing stop. ashley fraser / postmedia

“suburbia is built around the automobile. people use timmy’s, coffee shops or public buildings, or they go home,” whitmore said. “ it seems incredible that so many cities in the world have done so much better than we have.”

the byward market building, in the middle of the neighbourhood, has public washrooms during work hours. after that, “the whole area becomes a public toilet,” she said.

“ everybody in the world needs to go, sooner or later. and it isn’t only homeless people, only old people, only children, only people with crohn’s and colitis. everybody does.”

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here’s a map of where you can find some of ottawa’s public washrooms:
the gotta go campaign advocated for public toilets to be included in phase 1 of the city’s lrt confederation line, whitmore said. as it stands, only public washrooms are included in “node” stations: bayview and hurdman.
cities in tokyo and japan are considered world leaders in public bathroom accessibility, she said, as well as new zealand. closer to home, edmonton, montreal and vancouver have made great strides.
a surprise was the new and improved all-gender washroom at city hall. bright, spacious, individual stalls with large doors that give lots of privacy and a separate room for nursing parents with a separate changing table in that room.
a surprise was the new and improved all-gender washroom at city hall. bright, spacious, individual stalls with large doors that give lots of privacy and a separate room for nursing parents with a separate changing table in that room. ashley fraser / postmedia
a surprise was the new and improved all-gender washroom at city hall. bright, spacious, individual stalls with large doors that give lots of privacy and a separate room for nursing parents with a separate changing table in that room.
a surprise was the new and improved all-gender washroom at city hall. bright, spacious, individual stalls with large doors that give lots of privacy and a separate room for nursing parents with a separate changing table in that room. ashley fraser / postmedia
“if ottawa is to be seen as a world-class city, it needs the network of beautiful, accessible, clean and secure public toilets,” she said.

whitmore noted the city’s downtown revitalization task force penned a lengthy report in january 2024 calling for “visionary, transformative action.” that report only mentions public bathrooms once, in relation to an event, she said.

“i f they want people to live downtown and go there, they need to go somewhere,” whitmore said. “and not in the back alley, please.”

the washroom at the horticulture building at lansdowne was a tad bit grimier than it normally is.
the washroom at the horticulture building at lansdowne was a tad bit grimier than it normally is. ashley fraser / postmedia
the washroom at the horticulture building at lansdowne was a tad bit grimier than it normally is.
the washroom at the horticulture building at lansdowne was a tad bit grimier than it normally is. ashley fraser / postmedia
one of the nice stops was at 1 elgin st., the national arts centre’s public washrooms on the main floor.
one of the nice stops was at 1 elgin st., the national arts centre’s public washrooms on the main floor. ashley fraser / postmedia
one of the nice stops was at 1 elgin st., the national arts centre’s public washrooms on the main floor.
one of the nice stops was at 1 elgin st., the national arts centre’s public washrooms on the main floor. ashley fraser / postmedia
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marlo glass
marlo glass

marlo glass grew up on manitoba's prairies, where she fell in love with journalism. she has worked in newsrooms across canada, and has been covering breaking news for the ottawa citizen since 2023. when not chasing tips, she likes to get outdoors or hang out on the couch with her cats.

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