Grant allows city to extend public washroom access downtown

A grant from the Canadian Medical Association Foundation will allow the city to keep public washrooms downtown open until the end of November.

In April the city opened the washrooms in Canada Games Plaza to the public, to offset the loss of access at public buildings and businesses downtown. That program was scheduled to end on July 13, but a $48,000 grant from medical foundation will allow it to continue.

The grant came from the COVID-19 Community Response Fund for Vulnerable Populations, program, which is a partnership between the foundation and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities

“On behalf of all our residents, I thank the CMAF and FCM for this important initiative,” Coun. Garth Frizzell, who is the first-vice president of the FCM, said in a press release. “These new funds will offer much-needed support to our community and will empower our municipality to help those who need it the most during this pandemic.”

The washrooms are open from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to midnight daily. Staff from the POUNDS Project Society manage access to the bathrooms. The program is intended to provide access to washrooms and basic sanitation for marginalized individuals.