Attendants keep park washrooms open and clean for everyone

A tourist trying to navigate the city, a family visiting a festival downtown or an individual who doesn't have regular access to a private bathroom. What do they all have in common? At some point, they are going to need to find a washroom, and they all hope to find one that is safe and clean.

Keeping public washrooms open, accessible and tidy requires consistent monitoring. This is where the Parks & Open Spaces Washroom Attendant Program comes in. Washroom attendants fulfill a variety of tasks during their shifts including checking and cleaning washrooms between visitors, monitoring the space so that everyone has access to the washrooms (wellness checks after someone has been in the washroom for more than 15 minutes), de-escalating situations where necessary and calling for help if someone is in medical distress.

At the Devonian Gardens washrooms, attendants often see tourists who still have their suitcases with them. "We might be their first impression of Calgary," said Washroom Attendant Paul. "Tourists often think they need to pay to use our washrooms and we say, 'It's free,' they tell us that in Europe you have to pay for the toilet paper. They are often shocked that it's free AND clean." Parents with children are very appreciative that they can access a family washroom that is monitored. “They want to take their child to someplace clean," said Paul.

Paul is one of the many attendants that monitor and cares for the public washrooms in select downtown parks as an employee of Hiregood. “Hiregood is a social enterprise that creates meaningful, long-term employment for people who are too often overlooked in the traditional workforce,” said Jodi Phelan, Chief Executive Officer for Hiregood. “We provide real services for our customers while creating real jobs in the community. This program is a perfect example of what that can look like. Our attendants aren’t just keeping the washrooms clean. They are creating safer, more welcoming spaces for everyone who uses them.”

Taren Yellowbird said that working as an attendant can be humbling, has challenged her in ways she needed to be challenged and is also more of a personal vocation than just a job. After university and working for outreach organizations, she was looking for meaningful work and then found this position, calling it "the best decision ever" to move to Calgary and become a washroom attendant. "My sister died on the streets from a heart attack and my niece died two weeks ago from an overdose so this is very personal, doing this work helps me grieve,” said Taren. “My sister and my niece — no one found them in time; no one was there."

Attendants say a variety of individuals use the washrooms including the elderly, families, people who work downtown, those attending an event or have an appointment and plenty of tourists.

Part of the success of the program comes from creating a community of support within these parks that includes the Parks maintenance staff, security and the attendants. When they are all working together, it improves the park experience for everyone said Washroom Attendant Samuel Kairu. "People come by and say good things about having us here," said Samuel. "They remember a time when people didn't have access to a washroom here, when it was shut down. Now it is good, many people feel at peace here. We often have 70 people per shift, sometimes 100 people. During an event we had 450 during one shift!"

The attendants also build a rapport with people who frequent the park, providing information about helpful resources and acting as another set of eyes and ears to ensure the space is welcoming for everyone using it.

Washroom Attendant Channsey Sung was unhoused when she was younger and said she has a lot of empathy for the people who are in a similar situation now. " I worked hard to get out of that situation," said Channsey. "If you don't have a home, it's hard to get work. If people ask us, we will tell them about programs that can help them get off the street."

Attendants see folks using the washrooms before they take the CTrain home, while they are shopping and others are park regulars. "There are many people who come here on a regular basis to get ready for work or to get cleaned up before going to dinner; it's part of their routine," said Gilbert McComb, Washroom Attendant. "I believe we are showing that we care and that there is compassion for everyone. People need to take care of the necessities of life to be able to make changes and be a more productive part of society."

One washroom attendant, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the attendants create a community of people who care for each other in these parks. She shared one story about a young woman who visited the park often, who had two dogs and was living on the street. "She would come by and we would check in on her and the dogs, we got to know her and she got to know us. We would talk about where she wanted to go and what she wanted to do. She ended up calling her grandfather, cleaned herself up and now she is back working again. We help a lot of people who want to take the help, that's very satisfying!"

Visitor surveys provide feedback that guides the Washroom Attendant Program and helps measure its success. Survey feedback collected in 2025 and 2026 shows that 97% of visitors are likely to return due to positive experiences. Before the program was launched in 2023, public concerns about safety and cleanliness were common, and many facilities were often closed for extensive vandalism repairs. Thanks to this program, repairs have been reduced and washrooms at program locations are open every day. In previous years, some public washrooms were closed for 10 out of 12 months due to vandalism.

“Over 80 per cent of people who filled out our customer satisfaction survey for the program in 2025 said that the presence of an attendant made these washrooms feel safe and welcoming,” said Joy Norstrom, Parks Issues Strategist, adding that they collected 880 surveys during the first three quarters of 2025. “Parks are important public spaces, and we want them to be accessible, safe and peaceful places where everyone is welcome. The Washroom Attendant Program helps us achieve this in these downtown parks.”

Jodi said she is immensely proud of the Hiregood attendants who help create safer public spaces. “Public washrooms are something most of us don’t think about until we need one,” said Jodi. “Having access to a clean, safe washroom is a basic need, whether you’re a tourist, a family with children, someone working downtown or someone experiencing homelessness. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity."