Starting next week, downtown patrons will have two new ‘places to go’ as two open-air urinals or pissoirs are installed in Guelph’s downtown core.
The pissoirs will be set up at the Macdonell Street municipal parking lot (behind the ticket booth), just west of Wyndham, and at the northwest corner of Carden and Wyndham. The pissoirs will be installed for an eight week trial period.
The pissoirs are part of a three-pronged approach developed by the Downtown Night Life Task Force to curb urination on public and private property in the downtown core. The Task Force includes representatives from downtown businesses, the Downtown Guelph Business Association, Guelph Police Service, and the City of Guelph. The plan also includes a public education campaign and stepped-up enforcement of the anti-fouling bylaw, which allows for a $240 fine for public urination.
Last month, Guelph City Council approved the $8,400 pilot project, which will cover the rental and maintenance cost of the two pissoirs for eight weeks. An additional $4,200 from downtown stakeholders will be spent on a public education campaign which includes posters for downtown establishments and signs for the pissoirs.
City staff will monitor the level of use, the number of by-law infringements, and the types of calls for clean-up in its evaluation of the pilot project. This will determine the success of the program and possible future impacts.