Trailers may address public urination
Residents raise stink over extra smelly back alleys after games and concerts
Downtown residents dealing with smelly back alleys after Rogers Place concerts and Edmonton Oilers games might soon see relief.
City officials are hoping portable washroom trailers can give fans with full bladders a sanitary alternative.
“We’re in the playoffs now,” Mayor Don Iveson said Monday, pushing for a quick investment in addition to a long-term citywide plan. “There’s an urgency where issues are most acute . ... I don’t want to wait a year for a strategy.”
Last year, 120 people were given $500 fines for urinating in public, with downtown seeing fines issued double in number to 52. Residents blame that on Rogers Place patrons, saying back alleys are extra smelly after games and concerts, but also on a lack of facilities for the homeless.
That’s a long-standing issue. Edmonton tried providing unmanned port-a-potties in the McCauley neighbourhood, but ended up dealing with too many discarded syringes and other issues. A permanent facility off Whyte Avenue cost $530,000.
Many large cities provide small kiosks in high-density areas for tourists, the homeless and other members of the public. Some are even self-washing, but all struggle with maintenance and some are more expensive in winter climates, said city staff in a presentation to council’s community services committee Monday.
The temporary trailers cost about $12,000 a month to operate, including an attendant. A smaller, permanent kiosk costs anywhere from $300,000 to $450,000, depending on how complex it is to hook up the infrastructure, said Jeff Chase, a city planning director working on the file.
Iveson said if Edmonton goes with a distributed kiosk model around downtown, the cost could likely be covered by the downtown revitalization levy — a pocket of money funded through increased property taxes around Rogers Place. It would be counted as street furniture.
Coun. Scott McKeen called it a “human rights issue.”
Some people don’t want public washrooms in their neighbourhood for fear it will attract crime, disorder and people who are homeless, he said. “But so-called less-than-desirable people don’t have access to restaurants and other facilities with washrooms like the rest of us do.”
Tourists and bar patrons also need to relieve themselves sometimes. That’s affecting downtown.
“The place stinks the next day and I just think we could do better,” McKeen said.
Councillors also asked administration to develop a citywide public washroom master plan, considering parks and public spaces across the city. That report is due in early 2018.
Coun. Ed Gibbons said whatever works in the downtown area should also go to 118 Avenue, especially since most homeless people getting a $500 fine can’t pay.
“This is ticket after ticket,” he said. “We really have to step forward with this . ... (These aren’t cheap), but we’re a big city.”