GottaGo! Submits Petition, Releases Report about Need for Public Toilets
(Ottawa/Sept. 23, 2014) Public response to the GottaGo! campaign makes it clear that
Ottawa wants and needs a network of accessible, open, clean, safe and easy-to-find public
toilets, starting with the new LRT Stations.
A press conference will be held at the Human Rights Monument on Elgin Street at 10 am today
along with our partners and supporters including Crohns and Colitis Canada, 1125@carleton,
Shepherds of Good Hope and Somerset West Community Health Centre. Together, we will be
submitting a petition with over 1,000 signatures to the Mayor and City Councillors demanding
that public toilets be installed at all LRT stations.
“Since thousands of people will be using LRT stations, it will be a terrible missed opportunity
if restroom facilities are not part of the initial design. Ignoring the need for open, accessible,
safe, and easy-to-find public toilets is a short-sighted policy decision. With an aging
population and increasing use of non-car transportation options, the need will only increase
with time,” says Joan Kuyek, Chair of the GottaGo! campaign.
GottaGo! is also releasing Talking Toilets: Assessing the accessibility of public toilets in
Ottawa, Ontario a research study undertaken by Richel Canham, a student from the Carleton
University Department of Geography and Environmental Studies. It is clear from this research
that public toilet provision has a substantial impact on the lives of its citizens and affects the
ways in which the city is used.
Sherry Pang, Eastern Ontario Development Coordinator for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, a
member of the GottaGo! CoreTeam, says, “Over 7,000 people in the region live with Crohn’s
disease or ulcerative colitis. These are lifelong diseases that can result in urgent bathroom
visits. The Ontario Government’s Customer Service Standard makes it clear that businesses
must take action to increase accessibility. An accessible network of public toilets should be
considered a requirement for people living with incontinence.”
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Media Contacts:
Joan Kuyek, [email protected], 613-795-5710
Sherry Pang, [email protected], 613-832-9344
Background information:
- GottaGo Campaign in Brief
- Talking Toilets: Assessing the accessibility of public toilets in Ottawa, Ontario, Report by Rachel Canham
- Community endorsements for GottaGo! Campaign
- Comments from online Petition: “Install clean, accessible public toilets and water fountains in all proposed LRT stations in City of Ottawa”