Edmonton tackles issue of public urination following hockey games

Edmonton hockey fans who are crowding the downtown to watch the Oilers in the playoffs will have more public washroom options, city officials say.

The washrooms at Tix on the Square, in Churchill Square downtown, will be kept open until one hour after the hockey game finishesin an effort by the city to deal with public urination following hockey games at Rogers Place.

Coun. Scott McKeenraised the issue at city council Tuesday. He said residents in the downtown-area are complaining about people relieving themselves in doorways, alcoves and streets.

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Nicole Poirier, director of civic events and festivals, said while public urination hasn't been a major issue, the city is still hoping to prevent it from happening.

"Not because we're seeing a huge increase in public urination during the playoffs, although we are hearing some complaints from the Downtown Business Association," Poirier said Wednesday.

There will be signs in the area directing people to the toilets.

City will consider further efforts if necessary

The Edmonton Oilers play the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday in Game 7 of their second-round playoff battle. The game is in Anaheim but will be televised for a sold-out Rogers Place crowd.

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If the playoffs extend beyond Wednesday's game, the city will look at the situation again, Poirier said.

"We'll continue to improve and adjust as we need to," she said, adding the city can only place portable toilets on city public space.

The portable toilets were placed in Michael Phair Park at 101st Avenue and 104th Street and will remain in place throughout theplayoffs, she added.

The Edmonton Police Service has not issued any tickets for public urination during the playoff run, a city spokesperson told CBC News. The ticket carries a $500 fine.

Police spokesperson Scott Pattison said ticketing remains a possibility.

"The EPS will be holding citizens accountable for any and all conduct detrimental to public safety and community harm," Pattison said in an email. "This includes public urination.

"From our perspective and our efforts to manage the substantially large crowd from Rogers Arena (20,000 plus) and on Jasper Avenue, our primary concern is pedestrian and traffic movement," he added.

"We are pleased that our civic partners have arranged available areas with portable toilets at select locations commensurate with known high pedestrian traffic areas on egress."

The problem area is a two-to-five block radius south of the arena, said Ian O'Donnell, executive director of the Downtown Business Association.

"In the alleyways there have been a few incidents of public urination," he said Wednesday. "Downtown is a residential and business community as well and we wouldn't find that acceptable if they did that in their own community, let alone in someone else's."

O'Donnell said the city should have thought ahead and made public toilets more accessible prior to the playoffs.

"Moving forward, hopefully these will be good lessons learned and we'll be able to be ready for next year," he said.

O'Donnell is hoping for a debrief following this playoff run with police and city officials to talk about what went well and what didn't.

There have been complaints from businesses and residents about some of the parking restrictions on Jasper Avenue and 104th Street in front of the Mercer building, said O'Donnell.

"Certain businesses are being affected positively, others are being challenged by some of these restrictions and closures," he said.

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