City-wide Toilet Strategy

What is happening?

Access to public toilets is a fundamental human right. It also supports public health and is essential for supporting independence for everyone in our community. The City is developing a City-wide Toilet Strategy that will include recommendations to address gaps in the availability, safety, maintenance, and dignity of toilet facilities throughout New Westminster for all members of the community.

What is the City-wide Toilet Strategy?

The City-wide Toilet Strategy is a new guiding document that will include recommendations to address gaps in the availability, safety, maintenance, and dignity of toilet facilities throughout New Westminster.

The strategy will:

• provide an overview of the current availability of all public toilets in New Westminster, including their locations, hours of operation, seasonal availability, and accessibility;
• identify promising practices occurring in other cities related to the provision of public toilets;
• engage with community members and groups to understand their experiences accessing toilets in New Westminster; and
• explore potential solutions to enhance access to toilets, including partnerships between the City and businesses and organizations.

The City recognizes that not everyone has the same experience when accessing toilets. The City-wide Toilet Strategy aims to assess and address the needs of all members of the community while considering the distinct experiences of those who may face challenges or barriers when accessing toilets. These include seniors; people living with disabilities; people living with health conditions; families with young children; and people who are unhoused. As part of this engagement, staff are prioritizing working with community-serving organizations and reaching those with identities and experiences listed above with an invitation to join a focus group to understand their experiences when accessing toilets in New Westminster.

For the broader community, feedback and experiences are being collected through an online survey. Please see the “How can I engage?” section below for more details.

Your input will help us:

• understand current patterns of toilet use in New Westminster,
• identify neighbourhoods that may need additional facilities or supports to enhance access, such as attendant services, enhanced maintenance, or extended hours of availability,
• identify or build on strategies and partnerships to address gaps in toilet access, and
• establish guiding principles that will inform future efforts in providing toilets.

The Citywide Toilet Strategy will align with other previous and current City initiatives that relate to the provision of public toilets, including the Downtown Livability Strategy, the Crises Response Pilot Project, the updated Age Friendly Community Strategy (in progress), and the updated Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan (in progress).

The strategy will consider the diverse needs of the community. It will guide the future provision and management of public toilets by providing clear recommendations to address gaps in the availability, safety, maintenance, and dignity of toilet facilities throughout New Westminster.

For more information about the strategy and related City programs, check out our FAQs and the links on the side of this page.

How can I engage?

We want to hear from you! The City is looking for feedback from residents of New Westminster about your experiences accessing toilets in the community. We’re also eager to know about your priorities, preferences, and values for toilet provision in New Westminster.

📊 Online survey

All residents of New Westminster are invited to share their thoughts by filling out a survey. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete and will be open until the end of day on Sunday, February 2, 2025. Click here to take the survey!

Your input will inform recommendations that will be incorporated into the City-wide Toilet Strategy.