The big orange shipping container turned “Pop-Up Toilet” and its team of dedicated staff has a new home on Portage Avenue.

“Our plan was always to keep on moving to see what our Pop-up Toilet facilities would bring to various underserviced areas of downtown Winnipeg. By moving it from place to place each month we can gauge its value and measure the results in various locations. Everything from use rates to how it affects an area,” said Downtown Winnipeg BIZ CEO Stefano Grande.

We’ve had approximately 30 users, per-day, since it first opened in June, and in the early days between 5-8 people per hour stopped to ask about the toilet and its significance. There were some other pleasant results from its presence too.

“We have appreciated having been chosen as one of the sites for the Pop-up Toilet initiative. It has been a huge success, beyond anything we could have imagined,” said Reverend Enid Pow of Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

Reverend Pow and her team reported an improvement in cleanliness around the toilet as well as a decrease in acts of vandalism and graffiti on the church grounds and surrounding streets, and it has been a positive experience for Siloam Mission who provide the staff for the Pop-up.

“It’s been an exciting month watching this come to life. From those visiting our kiosk to the participants in our programs gaining meaningful employment, it has been so positive seeing people engage with this project on all sides,” said Siloam Mission CEO Jim Bell.