We touched on the subject of Vancouver’s public washrooms last week, and on Sunday, two COPE city council candidates weighed in.

Speaking at Pigeon Park COPE candidate Donalda Greenwell-Baker particularly stressed the need for more facilities – ones that actually work – in neighbourhoods like the Downtown Eastside.

“In this neighbourhood, particularly, washrooms have been a critical amenity that has been missing for many, many years,” said Greenwell-Baker. “This particular one, unfortunately, hasn’t worked.

“People have chosen other places to go,” she said. “There just aren’t enough public washrooms.”

And like we mentioned last week, OpenFile Vancouver took a close look at the lack of washrooms in the Downtown Eastside all the way back in November 2010.

The city installed two self-cleaning toilets in the area this year, but staff admit they aren’t wheelchair-accessible and are out of service at least once a day for restocking or repairs.

“I know the one at Pigeon Park has had the door broken off two or three times now, and that’s not a quick fix,” says Grant Woff, who works with the City of Vancouver’s streets administration section.

COPE candidates Donalda Greenwell-Baker and Brent Granby say it’s not just the Downtown Eastside that lacks public washrooms, and both pledge to work to bring more facilities if elected in November.

In order to do that, both candidates say there needs to be more cooperation between the Park Board, the City of Vancouver and businesses.

This all comes just four days after the city announced its ninth automated toilet will become operational at Granville and Robson, and a few weeks after a petition from transit users – calling for more public washrooms at SkyTrain stations and bus exchanges – began to circulate.