The City of Calgary is launching a $600,000 downtown washroom attendant pilot project in Olympic Plaza and Century Gardens this spring. .“To make downtown a place that fosters connection and brings people together, we must improve the safety of our public spaces,” said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek in a Tuesday press release. .“I’m excited for this pilot project to take shape, as these washrooms will be more accessible, clean, and safe for everyone.” .The release said the City of Calgary is partnering with the Alberta Alliance Who Educate and Advocate Responsibly (AAWEAR) for the pilot. It said AAWEAR will hire, supervise, and train the washroom attendants. .AAWEAR Executive Director Kathleen Larose said it was exciting to be partnering with the City of Calgary on the pilot project, “which is geared towards increasing safety in our parks for all citizens.” .“This washroom attendant program will expand the continuum of care for community members who face barriers to paid work,” said Larose. .“This is a project that will benefit the entire community by making washrooms more accessible, inclusive, and safe.” .The release went on to say the project will create connections among service providers and people in need of assistance. All AAWEAR staff members are people who experienced or are dealing with mental illness, substance use, and homelessness or those empathetic to the cause. .Attendants will report incidents and provide light cleaning and litter pickup daily at Olympic Plaza and Century Gardens starting Monday until mid-October from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m., except during ticketed events such as festivals. They will have information about community resources on hand to share with people as needed. .The release continued by saying the locations were chosen for the pilot due to their central location; existing public locations; past incidents; and data collected from emergency services, city staff, and outreach groups such as the Downtown Outreach Addictions Partnership team. .Centre City Parks Operations Manager Carmen Hindson said the city “wants these public washrooms to be welcoming spaces for everyone.” .Hindson acknowledged the City of Edmonton operates a similar program, which has been successful at reducing incidents and repair costs for public washrooms. .“We want to test out if having attendants helps improve user experience of these washrooms,” she said. .The project — funded in part by the Alberta government — is expected to cost up to $600,000. Information about incident trends and feedback will be collected throughout it by the city and AAWEAR. .Once it wraps up in October, results and potential for sustainable funding will be discussed to determine if the program will be extended. .Edmonton taxpayers spent a large sum of money in 2020 to keep Whyte Ave. and seven other public washrooms clean during the COVID-19 pandemic..READ MORE: Edmonton spends nearly $550K to keep eight public washrooms clean during COVID pandemic.A report headed to Edmonton city council showed $548,002 was spent on the COVID-19 washroom response to ensure residents, especially vulnerable populations, had access to public toilets..A total of $126,000 was spent to keep the Whyte Ave. facility clean. There are two attendants on site, day and night.
The City of Calgary is launching a $600,000 downtown washroom attendant pilot project in Olympic Plaza and Century Gardens this spring. .“To make downtown a place that fosters connection and brings people together, we must improve the safety of our public spaces,” said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek in a Tuesday press release. .“I’m excited for this pilot project to take shape, as these washrooms will be more accessible, clean, and safe for everyone.” .The release said the City of Calgary is partnering with the Alberta Alliance Who Educate and Advocate Responsibly (AAWEAR) for the pilot. It said AAWEAR will hire, supervise, and train the washroom attendants. .AAWEAR Executive Director Kathleen Larose said it was exciting to be partnering with the City of Calgary on the pilot project, “which is geared towards increasing safety in our parks for all citizens.” .“This washroom attendant program will expand the continuum of care for community members who face barriers to paid work,” said Larose. .“This is a project that will benefit the entire community by making washrooms more accessible, inclusive, and safe.” .The release went on to say the project will create connections among service providers and people in need of assistance. All AAWEAR staff members are people who experienced or are dealing with mental illness, substance use, and homelessness or those empathetic to the cause. .Attendants will report incidents and provide light cleaning and litter pickup daily at Olympic Plaza and Century Gardens starting Monday until mid-October from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m., except during ticketed events such as festivals. They will have information about community resources on hand to share with people as needed. .The release continued by saying the locations were chosen for the pilot due to their central location; existing public locations; past incidents; and data collected from emergency services, city staff, and outreach groups such as the Downtown Outreach Addictions Partnership team. .Centre City Parks Operations Manager Carmen Hindson said the city “wants these public washrooms to be welcoming spaces for everyone.” .Hindson acknowledged the City of Edmonton operates a similar program, which has been successful at reducing incidents and repair costs for public washrooms. .“We want to test out if having attendants helps improve user experience of these washrooms,” she said. .The project — funded in part by the Alberta government — is expected to cost up to $600,000. Information about incident trends and feedback will be collected throughout it by the city and AAWEAR. .Once it wraps up in October, results and potential for sustainable funding will be discussed to determine if the program will be extended. .Edmonton taxpayers spent a large sum of money in 2020 to keep Whyte Ave. and seven other public washrooms clean during the COVID-19 pandemic..READ MORE: Edmonton spends nearly $550K to keep eight public washrooms clean during COVID pandemic.A report headed to Edmonton city council showed $548,002 was spent on the COVID-19 washroom response to ensure residents, especially vulnerable populations, had access to public toilets..A total of $126,000 was spent to keep the Whyte Ave. facility clean. There are two attendants on site, day and night.
