Waterloo unveils fully accessible, self-cleaning washroom
The City of Waterloo unveiled a new self-cleaning and fully accessible washroom on Friday.
The facility can be found near King Street and William Street in Uptown Waterloo.
“We got lots of comments from the community that there is a lack of washroom availability in the uptown area,” explained project manager Swati Vekariya.
There are self-cleaning features, such as an anti-graffiti coating and the ability to autonomously wash the toilet and clean the floors between users.
Waterloo's new fully accessible washroom during its self-clean cycle. (May 24, 2024)
The washroom also comes with a wide range of accessibility considerations.
Detectors can guide people to the washroom’s entrance where they’ll find a tactile map of the washroom, including braille translations.
The tactile map on Waterloo's new fully accessible washroom. (May 24, 2024)
It also has an adult change table and emergency button.
“You feel like they thought of people when they put this together,” said Richard Mills, who lives nearby.
Local accessibility groups are applauding the new structure, saying it’s a move in the right direction.
“There are a lot of times where going to the washroom is one of the hardest things,” Alyssa Clelland, a member of the Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee, said. “I don’t even drink at venues because I don’t really want to have to go to the washroom.”
The new fully accessible washroom in Uptown Waterloo on May 24, 2024.
“There definitely aren’t enough accessible washroom locations in the area,” added Edward Faruzel, executive director of KW Accessibility. “Anything we can do like that to make the world more accessible.”
There are also other safety measures. If someone is inside the washroom for more than 20 minutes, city crews will receive a notification and someone will be dispatched to check on their wellbeing.
The washroom comes at a $450,000 price tag, but city officials said $262,000 was covered by a federal grant.
The washroom will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.
The project, also known as the Uptown LOO, was originally slated to open in the spring of 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6940954.1719356980!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Smith tells Trudeau Alberta will opt out of federal dental plan
Alberta is opting out of the federal dental plan, the premier told the Canadian government late Tuesday afternoon.
One of Canada's most popular vehicles recalled over transmission issue; 95,000 impacted
One of the country's most popular vehicles is being recalled in Canada due to a transmission issue that may impact tens of thousands of drivers.
WikiLeaks' Assange pleads guilty in deal with U.S. that secures his freedom, ends legal fight
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has pleaded guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that secures his liberty and concludes a drawn-out legal saga that raised divisive questions about press freedom and national security.
'We need to regroup,' says Liberal minister and Ontario campaign co-chair in light of byelection loss
A member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet and the party's Ontario co-chair for the next campaign says the Liberals 'need to regroup' after a shocking overnight byelection loss to Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives.
Pre-med students can't take MCAT in Quebec because of Bill 96
Areeba Ahmed says she's always dreamed of becoming a surgeon but her road to the operating room has become a complicated one ever since Quebec's French language law came into effect.
Protesters try to topple Queen Victoria statue near pro-Palestinian encampment in Montreal
Montreal police were called to intervene after protesters attempted to tear down the Queen Victoria statue at Victoria Square.
Cup Noodles serves up notoriously poisonous pufferfish
Pufferfish is regarded as a luxury in Japan and a meal featuring the potentially poisonous delicacy can easily cost up to 20,000 yen (US$125) at high-end restaurants.
'Truly a great British Columbian': Former B.C. premier John Horgan has cancer again
Former B.C. premier and current Canadian ambassador to Germany John Horgan has been diagnosed with cancer for a third time.
New experience in Halifax gets people up close and personal to the ocean's most feared predator
Atlantic Shark Expeditions launched a new shark cage experience which gives brave attendees a chance to get up close and personal with the oceans most feared predator.