Yellowknife to provide funding to businesses for sidewalk patios, public bathrooms

The City of Yellowknife hopes to make the downtown core more inviting by offering funding tobusiness owners to install sidewalk patios or open up their bathrooms to the public.

City councillors agreedon Mondayto start providing financial incentives to downtown businesses that take up either project.

All six councillors presenton Mondayvoted in favour of providing financial incentives for participating businesses. As a result, downtown businesses that establish their own sidewalk patios are entitled to as much as $10,000 in one-time City funding.

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Non-government offices that make their washrooms available to the public during business hours will receive $500 annually from the City.That funding will help cover cleaning supplies and costs associated with additional cleanup efforts.

City administration is hopeful both projects will make the downtown core more welcoming for residents and tourists alike.

"We think these can make massive contributions to how welcoming our city is and to enhancing street life in the downtown," said Sheila Bassi-Kellett, the city's senior administrative officer.

Public washrooms are currently available at City Hall, the public library and Somba K'e Civic Plaza during business hours in the downtown core. But come nighttime, Coun. Linda Bussey says options are limited.

"We have nowhere for tourists or for residents to have public washrooms in the evening," she said."I would like us to look at possibilities for us to have washrooms after our facilities are closed."

Could be 'tricky' for business owners

The City was approached by a local entrepreneur earlier this year about encouraging more businesses to make their washrooms public.

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In addition to providing funding for the open washroom project, the City will also post signage to make residents and tourists aware of public washrooms in the downtown core.

Bassi-Kellett says a handful of business owners have already expressed interest in opening their facilities up to the public.

Coun. Adrian Bell says he's very supportive of the idea, so long as the City doesn't pass responsibility off completely to entrepreneurs.

Bell operated a downtown food business until 2009.

"There are some aspects to this that are a little tricky," he said.

"I've had situations where I was the onecleaning up a disastrous mess in the washroom on numerous occasions and I reserved the right to not let anyone use the washrooms for three months after that, just out of frustration and out of a lack of willingness to ever go through that again.

"If your business has been included on a map of public washroom spaces, are you giving up that right to do that?"

Both pilot projects are expected to roll out this summer and will be evaluated on an ongoing basis.