Public washroom on Whyte Avenue now staffed with attendant

The public washroom on the northeast corner of Whyte Avenue and Gateway Boulevard will be staffed by an attendant as of Mondayas part of a three month pilot project.

The attendant will serve as a host and maintain the facility, the city said Monday.

The project is a partnership between the City of Edmonton and Boyle Street Ventures Inc.

The city is paying the $36,000 cost of the project, while Boyle Street Ventures will oversee the logistics of the program, including hiring and training the attendant.

There will be four full-time jobs, two part-time jobs, and six casual positionsall filled by people who have barriers to employment, said Jodi Phelan, general manager, Boyle Street Ventures Inc.

The attendants will all earn a custodial certificate, know how to use a naloxone kit, and receive training on how to de-escalate a confrontational situation, she said.

"Our main goal here is to deter people from doing illicit activities in the bathrooms," Phelan said. "We're going to direct people to the help they need."

The second goal is to offer a "comfortable place for citizens to use the washroom so nobody feels threatened," she said.

Boyle Street Ventures Inc. is a subsidiary of Boyle Street Community Services, which has "a mandate to tackle poverty using transformative employment opportunities for individuals who have barriers to accessing the formal job market," a news release said.

For the full 90 days of the pilot program they will track who's using the washroom and why, Phelan said. She said it's particularly important for the vulnerable community to have access to a public washroom.

"There's an absolute need for it."

If the pilot program is successful, she expects it will be expanded to other parts of the city.

People have contacted the city about this washroom saying they don't always feel safe using it, and that it isn't very clean," said Nicole Fraser, a supervisor with the city.

"With an attendant here, we hope to improve the overall experience" for visitors to the area, Fraser said. "Just having someone present often makes people feel more safe and more comfortable."

If there's something the attendant can't manage, they can report it to the city immediately, she added.

The public washroom on this corner will be open and staffed Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. until 1:30 a.m. the next morning. On Fridays, Saturdays and statutory holidays, it will be open from 10 a.m. until 3:30 a.m. the next morning.

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