An architect in Winnipeg says he's delighted to donate his own land to build the future permanent public washroom on if the city wants it.
The Principal Architect at Bridgman Collaborative Architecture, Wins Bridgman, has been working with his team for over 13 years on the issue of having no public washroom in the downtown area of Winnipeg.
"Almost everyone in the downtown has had a problem finding washrooms but vulnerable people have a great deal of difficulty. The issue is one of dignity and city sanitation," says Bridgman.
"We've been trying different strategies. The most recent one with the pop-up washrooms [I was] working with the Downtown Biz and Siloam Mission. This summer-type washroom would test out whether or not Winnipegger's would use public washrooms in a variety of locations in the downtown. [It answered questions like] who would use them, how often, and any comments from the public and business owners in the area where we located the washroom."
Bridgman and his team designed the pop-up washroom that has been used for two summers, 2018 and 2019. The first year the Downtown Biz and Siloam Mission helped run it.
"Then, Main Streets Project has largely taken it over at Henry and Main where they've done a phenomenal job working with the population in that area."
That was last summer. The portable washroom should have been accessible this summer, however, once COVID hit, this became an issue of health.