Calgary introducing washroom attendants at 2 downtown bathrooms

Looking to make downtown restrooms safer, inviting Downtown restrooms have long been a little rough around the edges but a pilot project will seek to make the spaces safer and more inviting.

The City of Calgary has unveiled plans to have an attendant in place at two downtown washrooms in an effort to make them safer for users.

The attendants will keep the bathrooms clean, clear up litter and report any incidents that may occur to the appropriate officials.

Attendants will also have information about community resources on hand to share with the public as needed.

They'll be in place at the public washrooms in Olympic Plaza and Century Gardens daily between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., except during ticketed events like festivals, as part of a pilot project starting May 8 and running through until mid-October.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the hope is the pilot will help improve safety in public spaces.

"I'm excited for this pilot project to take shape as these washrooms will be more accessible, clean, and safe for everyone," she said in a news release.

Carmen Hindson, manager of centre city parks operations, says the City of Calgary wants public washrooms to be welcoming spaces for everyone.

“The City of Edmonton operates a similar program which has been successful at reducing incidents and repair costs for public washrooms," Hindson said. "We want to test out if having attendants helps improve user experience of these washrooms."

The city is partnering with the Alberta Alliance Who Educate and Advocate Responsibly (AAWEAR) for the pilot, and says AAWEAR will be hiring, supervising and training the washroom attendants.

"This is a project that will benefit the entire community by making the washrooms more accessible, inclusive and safe," said Kathleen Larose, AAWEAR executive director.

The pilot project, funded in part by the province, is expected to cost up to $600,000.

Once the pilot wraps up in October, the results will be discussed to determine if the program will be extended.

For more information on the pilot you can visit the City of Calgary's website.