Centretown standalone washroom project paused after it runs over budget

The washroom design comprises of a 400 sq. ft. building with two accessible washroom units.

A project to build a standalone public washroom in Centretown has been put on hold after it ran over budget, city staff said Tuesday.

During discussion on a motion regarding washroom access, city staff told councillors at the finance and corporate services committee that the washroom planned for the corner of Somerset Street and Bank Street is not going ahead until more funding is approved.

One million dollars was approved in the 2025 budget for the washroom.

The statement arose after Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney asked about a diagram referenced in the motion, which said, “a template washroom design has already been completed.”

Tierney said he had yet to see it and he’s heard that costs have increased.

“I’ve yet to see it, and I chair public works, the diagram of this standalone, replicated building,” he said. “It seems like staff have gone out and designed something, never let council know, did it based on no criteria presented at public works, and I just want to know how it got to this point.”

CTV News obtained the proposal and sketches for the washroom that were designed by city staff, comprising of a 400 sq. ft. building with two accessible washroom units.

The sketches show a maintenance and community event support room in between the two units. The design also includes needle boxes, changing tables, a built-in water fountain and three external security cameras.

Planning, Development and Building Services general manager Marcia Wallace confirmed that a design was completed but hasn’t been presented to councillors because the project is approximately $400,000 over budget, and approval for more funding must come during the 2027 budget process before the project can continue.

Dan Chenier, general manager of Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services, said it’s also estimated that operating and cleaning the planned washroom would cost between $400,000 and $500,000 per year.

Wallace said part of the reason for the cost overrun was because of security requirements.

Washroom access has been an ongoing issue in Ottawa for years and comes alongside concerns over safety. Recently, washrooms on the O-Train Line 1 were closed indefinitely due to vandalism and drug use. OC Transpo says it is exploring several options, including blue light installation, enhanced monitoring, public messaging, and secure needle disposal boxes as measures to make the washrooms safer.

Tuesday’s motion, moved by Kitchissippi Ward Coun. Jeff Leiper on behalf of Somerset Ward Coun. Ariel Troster, directs staff to develop recommendations for a broader public washroom strategy by the end of 2027.

Troster said Ottawa “absolutely needs” a downtown public washroom strategy.

“I have seen the heat map of where people are using the street as a toilet, and the direct heat map is in the area where this public bathroom project is proposed,” she said. “When this project was originally approved in 2025, we had business owners coming and talking about cleaning up human excrement outside their businesses.”

A groundbreaking for the Centretown washroom was intended to take place this fall. It’s unclear when this project when resume.

“I don’t believe it’s acceptable that a project that we approved in 2025, if it’s further delayed, could not get built until 2028,” Troster said.

“My intention in adding back the specific mention of this project into the downtown revitalization plan is to have it there as a marker, to ensure that we’re not forgetting it, and to understand that even if a project has a funding pressure, we have a responsibility to bring it back to committee and to council and to discuss that and to make a democratic decision about whether it proceeds.”

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