More public washroom facilities planned for Saskatoon’s Pleasant Hill, Riversdale neighbourhoods

The city will be buying a washroom trailer with contracted staff, moving forward with the project at the Riverbank public washroom and bringing in additional drinking water access.

Saskatoon city council will be adding more public washrooms to the Pleasant Hill and Riversdale neighbourhoods soon after discussing options at city hall on Wednesday.

Council heard from community members Wednesday afternoon, outraged by the lack of public facilities for the city’s homeless population.

“I see the problems out there,” Saskatoon resident David Fineday told council on Wednesday. “I see the people walking out there with s—ty pants, ladies walking around out there with blood all over their pants because they can’t have a place to go take care of themselves.”

Fineday said he has been witnessing this in the city for 10 years.

“There should be more washrooms from St. Paul’s to the bank that just closed down to the church across the street, every block,” he said.

The city will be buying a washroom trailer with contracted staff, moving forward with the pilot project at the Riverbank public washroom and bringing in additional drinking water access.

City administration noted earlier this week that several community partners like Prairie Harm Reduction, Sanctum Care Group, The Salvation Army and the Saskatchewan Health Authority were consulted on how best to approach the lack of public washroom availability.

According to the city, the number of incidents in public washrooms increased by approximately 32 per cent between 2022 and 2023, including times individuals had to be removed from the building and instances involving drug use, vandalism, public intoxication and needing police or medical assistance.