Saskatoon city council funds public washroom project with urgency

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A public washroom trailer set up in Pleasant Hill for Saskatoon’s most vulnerable people was brought up and approved by Saskatoon city council, with councillors and city administration citing urgency around the matter.

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Instances of people defecating and urinating in public prompted the city to approve a pilot project last year, after Riversdale and Pleasant Hill community members and businesses expressed mounting concern to council and the city’s board of police commissioners about deteriorating conditions.

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Coun. Scott Ford gave notice Wednesday of a motion to keep washroom facilities open again this year by utilizing the remaining $230,000 from the 2024 project. The city continues to look for navigation-services funding, which would help people there access emergency shelters, and provide transportation and advocacy for those needing connection to other resources.

The city originally approved $700,000 for the 2024 project.

Staff from the Saskatoon Tribal Council’s Sawēyihtotān program monitored the washrooms last year, with assistance from commissionaires.

According to the city, the washroom trailers were used over 14,000 times within a two-month period.

The item typically would have been discussed at the next council meeting, but Coun. Zach Jeffries pushed to have the discussion right there, making a motion that was seconded by Coun. Robert Pearce.

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“I think there’s an urgency to this, and funding is already there,” Pearce said.

Coun. Bev Dubois said she would have preferred to have a report come forward first, but didn’t vote against the motion.

Jeffries said he wouldn’t typically waive notice on a topic like this, but echoed Pearce in saying there was an urgency to have these washrooms in place.

Lesley Anderson, the city’s director of planning and development, said it costs about $18,000 a month to run those washrooms without the navigation services.

She said the money would strictly go towards the facility cost, which includes septic, water and cleaning services, and added that the facility wasn’t damaged last year.

Anderson noted that navigation services were important, but weren’t a traditional role the city itself offers.

“We would continue to work with partners to help them secure funding for navigation services,” Anderson said, adding that the facility could be funded until the fall.

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With no navigation services secured, there was a risk that service wouldn’t be there, Anderson said. She added that those costs were estimated around $170,000 per month for 24/7 coverage.

“Ensuring there is a place with dignified access to these critical pieces is definitely something we need to work on,” Anderson said.

There were concerns within council about whether the money should instead go towards the upcoming drop-in centre, but city administration explained that both facilities are needed in Saskatoon.

A report coming in June on “current and ongoing actions related to responses to homelessness” will have some additional information about the drop-in centre.

Dubois said she was frustrated, noting some councillors knew more about this drop-in centre than others.

“I just don’t know why we’re not all on the same page with that.”

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City manager Jeff Jorgenson provided details on the drop-in centre, saying the provincial government is partnering with the city, which is tasked with finding and funding a location.

“The exact hours of operation are still to be determined,” Jorgenson said.

The drop-in centre was was originally pitched as two drop-in centres, operating like the warming centres that pop up during the winter. The idea was to have these drop-in centres operate through the year. They would be open 24/7.

Jorgenson said this facility would be a place for Saskatoon’s homeless population to go during the day, and they would have access to washrooms.

“We are actively working in partnership with the province to get a drop-in centre operational as soon as possible,” Jorgenson said, adding they were hoping to have something within the next few weeks.

There’s no money currently in the budget for this new facility, Jorgenson said, adding that before this discussion he’d considered using the washroom funding as a source. But he said it can be argued that both facilities are needed.

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He said once a funding source was found, they’d likely hold an emergency council meeting to discuss the matter.

“One of the things that I think we take for granted is our ability to use a washroom,” Pearce said, adding that it’s not a luxury many homeless people have.

Council unanimously approved Ford’s motion.

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