Ottawa city councillor Shawn Menard has a new, slightly unusual honour to add to his resume: the 'Golden Plunger.'
The Capital ward councillor was recognized with the tongue-in-cheek award for his sustained advocacy on public washroom access across Ottawa — an issue he's been raising at city hall for years, often to the amusement (and eventual agreement) of his colleagues.
What is the Golden Plunger, exactly?
While the name is a joke, the issue behind it is not. Public washroom access affects seniors, people with disabilities, parents with young kids, transit riders, people experiencing homelessness, and honestly, anyone who's ever been caught downtown without a bathroom in sight. Menard has argued that Ottawa, as the nation's capital and a major tourist destination, has an embarrassing shortage of accessible, well-maintained public washrooms — especially outside of the downtown core.
Why Menard has made this his cause
Menard has pushed the city to expand its public washroom network, improve signage so people can actually find the facilities that do exist, and keep those washrooms open longer and cleaner. He's pointed to cities like Vienna and Tokyo, which are often cited as having some of the best public washroom infrastructure in the world, as models Ottawa could learn from.
His advocacy has included motions at city council and ongoing pressure on staff to treat washroom access as basic infrastructure, not an afterthought. For Menard, it's about dignity — he's said publicly that no one should have to buy a coffee they don't want just to use a bathroom, or plan their entire day around where the nearest open washroom might be.
An Ottawa-sized problem
Ottawa's downtown core, the ByWard Market, and the Rideau Canal corridor all see heavy foot traffic from residents, commuters, and tourists alike — particularly in summer when Winterlude gives way to festival season and patio culture. Advocates for people experiencing homelessness have also long flagged the lack of 24-hour public washrooms as a serious gap in the city's social infrastructure, one that affects health and dignity year-round, not just during tourist season.
Menard's Capital ward includes parts of the Glebe and Old Ottawa South, areas popular with dog walkers, runners, and families using the canal pathways — all groups who've felt the pinch of Ottawa's washroom shortage firsthand.
What's next
While the Golden Plunger is a lighthearted nod, Menard has said he intends to keep pushing city staff and council for concrete action, including more standalone public washrooms and better maintenance of existing ones. Ottawa residents who've dealt with a locked washroom door at the wrong moment will likely be rooting for him.
Whether or not the city delivers a full network of new facilities anytime soon, Menard's advocacy has at least kept the issue firmly on the public radar — plunger and all.
Source: Ottawa Citizen
