'Having access to a washroom is a human right': New map shows Winnipeggers locations when they need to go

The layout of a new site that shows where public washrooms are in Winnipeg. (Source: Winnipee.com)

When Mother Nature comes calling, sometimes finding a washroom isn’t the easiest to do. However, one Winnipeg man is hoping to change that with his new website, Winnipee.

The new site, which was launched on Sunday and is in its beta form, shows people where the closest public washroom and water fountains are in the city.

Andrew McCrea said the idea came to him after he lived downtown in 2018.

“This was during the Winnipeg Jets playoffs in 2018. I used to watch people from all walks of life, downtown was really busy at that time, and they would relieve themselves on empty storefronts across from my apartment,” said McCrea. “I didn’t really want to live in a neighbourhood that had that kind of issue and I also thought there wasn’t a lot of dignity for someone that had to relieve themselves in public.”

Ever since then he said the idea has been brewing in the back of his mind.

“I am just a really firm believer that having access to a washroom is a human right.”

McCrea has been a web designer for several years and says he is always looking for real problems to solve.

“I want to come up with a prototype really quickly just to evaluate the idea and just see if there is any potential. I took a lot of code that I accumulated over the years, fished it together in a probably week or so, a full work week probably went into getting this prototype together.”

The site uses a person’s location and will show the closest facilities to them. People can also upload new locations through the website, with McCrea saying he will verify the data once it comes in and then add it to the map.

People can also clarify if washrooms are easily accessible for people using a wheelchair or friendly for homeless Winnipeggers.

Since launching, McCrea said he was surprised at how much positive feedback he has received for his creation.

Looking at the future of the site, McCrea said this is something that would be beneficial in any city and there are several avenues he could explore, such as mapping out washrooms on a road trip.

He added he would also like to have the ability to partner with the city on this project.

“I would love to provide any of the data we collect about where public washrooms might be really useful for big portions of the population. I would love to partner with the city and help move this forward.”

A spokesperson for the City of Winnipeg said they recognize that public washrooms provide dignity for downtown residents, noting there are currently four available in the downtown area.

“There are two additional locations planned to open in August, with the exact date to be determined. One will be located at the North East corner of Higgins Ave. and Main St., while the location of the other is still being determined. It’s planned to be in the West End neighbourhood,” the spokesperson said.

During the beta phase, McCrea said he is still requiring help from the public to crowdsource the information to add as many locations to the map as possible.

When the site is out of the beta phase, he said the plan is to create a Winnipee app.