Mississauga park will use large shipping container as a public washroom

Mississauga is putting a large shipping container to good use by setting it up as a permanent and more cost-effective public washroom at a park in the city’s north end.

The 20-foot container has been put in place at Tobias Mason Park, northwest of Derry Rd. and Winston Churchill Blvd., and will serve as a seasonal public washroom starting next spring. It will not be in use during the winter months.

The structure, divided into two barrier-free washrooms, will remain in place for at least two years as part of a pilot project as the City of Mississauga explores cost-effective ways to provide public washrooms.

The washroom structure, which was to open this past summer before utility hook-up complications got in the way, is located near the existing spray pad and close to Terragar Blvd.

“It will be designed to be accessible, safe and durable. The City anticipates that the pilot project will run for two years and then be reassessed,” City officials say in an online description of the project.

Mississauga park officials will seek public feedback once the washroom is being used by park visitors next year.

“The City will be seeking public feedback through an online survey to understand how the location and shipping container washroom are serving the park visitors’ needs,” the City says.

Officials add that one of the main reasons Tobias Mason Park was chosen for the pilot is because “the site’s existing park facilities attract visitation for a prolonged period, and there is no public washroom within walking distance of the park (community centre or library).”

Park facilities include a playground, two soccer fields, a softball diamond and a spray pad.