Open washrooms in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais

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It’s among the top questions readers have been asking in the last few weeks, as more places re-open and day trips become possible during this COVID-19 period: Where can I find an open restroom in and around Ottawa?

You asked, I’ve delivered. This list of open bathrooms in Eastern Ontario and West Quebec will keep evolving, so if you know of a spot I’ve missed (or one that has closed since I wrote this post), please let me know in the comments or send me an email. I’ve done my best to make this list as accurate as possible, but—as we’ve all learned in the last few months—things can and do change!

Many of these are public restrooms (such as those in parks and visitor centres), but others are in privately owned businesses (such as stores, restaurants and malls). In a few cases, the tip has come from a reader (thank you!) and I haven’t been able to verify hours and such with the location yet; in those cases, the location is listed in italics.

A few important notes:

• If you are using the facilities at a business that sells something, please, please, please make a purchase! Even if it’s just a cup of coffee, a chocolate bar or some gas, it will go a little way toward paying the kind people who keep those bathrooms clean and functional.
• On any road trip—especially if you’re planning to rely on portapotties or outhouses—bring a small kit of supplies with you. Items could include disinfecting wipes for the toilet seat, some toilet paper, gloves, hand sanitizer or soap, a mask (now required in many indoor places), and paper towels or a small hand towel. (Thanks to reader P. Jean Oliver for this good advice.) Also, if the toilet has a lid, close it before flushing to reduce the release of airborne pathogens.
• If you are at an outdoor site, such as a park or hiking trail, please use the outhouses, portapotties or comfort stations provided, if possible. In some cases (such as backcountry camping), such facilities won’t be available, so please follow responsible disposal guidelines such as those promoted by Leave No Trace Canada. (Thanks to outdoors expert Victoria Walsh of Girl Gone Good for this tip.)
• Other good websites to check include GottaGo! (an Ottawa public washroom advocacy group) and 511 Ontario (information about roadside picnic areas and rest stops across the province).

Okay, with those guidelines in mind, here’s where you can go when you need to go.

Open washrooms in Ottawa

Washrooms in City of Ottawa parks

Public washrooms are open in the following parks. You can use the city’s interactive park map to pinpoint the parks.

• Andrew Haydon Park, 3169 Carling Avenue
• Britannia Park, 2805 Carling Avenue
• Hog’s Back Park, 600 Hog’s Back Road
• Mooney’s Bay Beach, 2960 Riverside Drive
• Petrie Island, 727 Trim Road
• Westboro Beach, 745 Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway

Facilities in NCC parks and Greenbelt spaces in Ottawa

Sanitary blocks, restrooms and outhouses in all NCC urban parks and Greenbelt spaces are currently open. The NCC’s website has the latest updates on its COVID-19 measures. Here are all the equipped NCC locations in Ottawa that I could confirm:

• Green’s Creek, Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway (east end, just east of Beacon Hill; outhouse near parking lot P8, beside the Ottawa River Pathway)
• Major’s Hill Park, Mackenzie Avenue (ByWard Market)
• Mer Bleue, Ridge Road (southeastern edge of the city; outhouses at parking lots P20, P21, P22 and P23)
• Patterson Creek (Queen Elizabeth Driveway between Linden Terrace and First Avenue in the Glebe)
• Pine Grove, Davidson Road (south end of Ottawa; outhouse at parking lot P18)
• Pinhey Forest, Woodroffe Avenue (south of the Nepean Sportsplex; outhouse by Trail 32 at parking lot P15)
• Shirley’s Bay, Shirley Boulevard at Rifle Road (western edge of the city; outhouse at parking lot P1)
• Stony Swamp, near West Hunt Club Road and Moodie Drive (Bells Corners; outhouses at parking lots P5, P7, P8, P9, P11 and P12)
• Vincent Massey Park, Heron Road (immediately north of Hog’s Back Park; washrooms in central building)

Temporary portapotties in Ottawa

According to the advocacy group GottaGo!, public portapotties have been set up in locations across Ottawa during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can see the full list on the GottaGo! website. They include the following:

• 120 Lisgar Street at Elgin (Centretown)
• 186 Bank Street at Gloucester (Centretown)
• 282 Bank Street at Cooper (Centretown)
• 574 Bank Street at Chamberlain (Centretown)
• Cardel Recreation Centre parking lot, 1500 Shea Road, Stittsville
• Linda Thom Park, Bank Street on the north side of Billings Bridge (Old Ottawa South)
• Remic Rapids Park, Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway (immediately north of Tunney’s Pasture)
• Routhier Community Centre, 172 Guigues Avenue (Lowertown)
• Royal 22e Regiment Park (near the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans)
• Somerset West Community Health Care Centre, 55 Eccles Street (Chinatown)

I’ve also had reports of other portapotties around the city, including the following:

• Beside St. Giles Presbyterian Church, 174 First Avenue at Bank (Glebe)
• Gloucester Street at Bank Street, beside the Scotiabank: two portapotties, including an accessible one (Centretown)

Other open restrooms in Ottawa

• Bayshore Shopping Centre, 100 Bayshore Drive
• CF Rideau Centre, 50 Rideau Street
• Dows Lake Pavilion, 1001 Queen Elizabeth Drive
• Elmvale Acres Shopping Centre, 1910 St. Laurent Boulevard (accessible washrooms near the entrance)
• Gloucester Centre, 1980 Ogilvie Road
• Ikea, 2685 Iris Street
• HomeSense, 3201 Greenbank Road (at Strandherd)
• Place d’Orléans, 110 Place d’Orléans Drive
• Real Canadian Superstore, 190 Richmond Road
• Real Canadian Superstore, 760 Eagleson Road
• Rideau Canal: Ottawa Locks (between Parliament Hill and the Fairmont Chateau Laurier); Hartwells Locks (on the edge of the Central Experimental Farm, opposite Carleton University); Hogs Back Falls Locks; Black Rapids Locks, 2453 Prince of Wales Drive; Long Island Locks, 390 Nicolls Island Road, Manotick
• St. Laurent Shopping Centre, 1200 St. Laurent Boulevard
• Tanger Outlets, 8555 Campeau Drive
• Tavern at the Falls, Rideau Falls
• World Exchange Plaza, 45 O’Connor Street (second floor)

The GottaGo! website mentioned earlier also has a number of good maps of public washrooms across the city, but I don’t have up-to-date information on which of them are currently open.

Open restrooms in Gatineau and the Outaouais

Facilities in NCC parks and Greenbelt spaces in the Outaouais

As mentioned above, sanitary blocks, restrooms and outhouses on all public NCC properties are currently open. The NCC’s website has the latest updates on its COVID-19 measures. Note that all of Jacques-Cartier Park (South) is currently closed for rehabilitation. The Gatineau Park Visitor Centre is also closed. Here are all the restroom/outhouse-equipped NCC locations in the Outaouais that I could confirm:

• Leamy Lake Park, Fournier Boulevard, Hull sector (washrooms open daily, 7am to 9pm)
• Gatineau Park: multiple facilities, including Pink Lake (dry toilet), Meech Lake (dry toilets at O’Brien Beach and Blanchet Beach), Philippe Lake (washrooms at Breton, Parent and Smith beaches) and La Pêche Lake (dry toilets)

Open restrooms elsewhere in the Outaouais/West Quebec

I realize this Outaouais section is VERY short! I’m having trouble finding information. If you know of any open restrooms, please let me know!

Gatineau

• Les Promenades Gatineau, 1100, boul. Maloney ouest, Gatineau (currently open daily at 11am, closing time varies from 5pm to 7pm; details on the mall’s website)
• Rona, 165, boul. du Plateau
• Rona, 777, boul. de la Cité

Wakefield

• Fairbairn House Heritage Centre/Hendrick Park, 45 Wakefield Heights (near the eastern end of the Wakefield covered bridge; two portapotties)
• Public docks (across from Expeditions Wakefield; portapotty)
• Turntable Park (near the Wakefield General Store; flushing toilets)

Open restrooms in Lanark County

See also “Open washrooms in Ontario provincial parks” and “Open restrooms at Parks Canada sites.”

Carleton Place

• Carleton Place Information Centre, 170 Bridge Street (currently open from 10am to 4pm on weekdays, and 11am to 4pm on weekends)
• Riverside Park, John Street

Glen Tay

• Glen Tay picnic park, Highway 7, north side, 2 kilometres west of Glen Tay Road, 5 kilometres west of Perth (link includes map)

Innisville

• Innisville picnic park, Highway 7, just north of the bridge (link includes map)

Mississippi Mills (Almonte, Appleton, Clayton and Pakenham)

Public washrooms in Mississippi Mills (marked below with a *) are open daily from 7am to 9pm and will be cleaned every two hours, following public health guidelines.

Almonte

• Almonte Beach (Almonte Fairgrounds), 195 Water Street*
• Gemmill Park Splash Pad, 182 Bridge Street*
• Metcalfe Geoheritage Park, 250 Almonte Street*
• Mill of Kintail Conservation Area, 2854 Ramsay Concession 8 (in the museum, Friday to Monday, 10am to 3pm)
• Whitehouse Perennials, 594 Rae Road (portapotty)

Appleton

• Appleton Bay Park, 510 River Road*

Clayton

• Clayton Taylor Park*

Pakenham

• Pakenham Beach (end of Margaret Street)*
• Pakenham Boat Launch*

Perth

• Perth Museum and Visitor Information Centre, 11 Gore Street East: Use the courtyard entrance (north side of the building). Masks required. Washrooms are open during operational hours, as posted (currently, Thursday through Saturday, 10am to 3pm; those hours are subject to change and will be revisited mid-July).
• Also, the following washrooms in Perth are open daily from 8am until 9pm.
  • Perth Town Hall, 80 Gore Street East: Exterior, two unisex washrooms.
  • The Crystal Palace at the Tay Basin, 28 Drummond Street East: one men’s, one women’s, one unisex.
  • Conlon Farm Chalet, 127 Smith Drive: one men’s, one women’s.
  • Last Duel Park dock building, 22 Craig Street: one men’s, one women’s.
• Starbucks, 78-80 Dufferin Street

Rideau Ferry

• Rideau Ferry public docks

Smiths Falls

• Lower Reach Park, Old Slys Road
• Old Slys Lock, Rideau Canal, 9 Old Slys Road
• Smiths Falls Combined Lock, Rideau Canal, 70 Confederation Drive
• Smiths Falls Detached Lock, Rideau Canal, 62 Lombard Street

Open restrooms in Kingston

Washrooms in City of Kingston parks

Toilet facilities are open in the following public parks from roughly 9am to 9pm daily, and enhanced cleaning procedures are in place:

• Breakwater Park, King Street West, between Collingwood Street and Lower University Avenue, just south of Queens University (portable washroom)
• City Park, King Street East, between Barrie and West streets
• Grass Creek Park, 2991 Highway 2, 20-minute drive east of downtown (portable washroom)
• Lake Ontario Park, 920 King Street West (pavilion only)
• Pump House Museum, 23 Ontario Street (outdoor washroom) (P.S.: The museum is now open for small group tours and is offering walking tours of Ontario Street.)
• Shannon Park, 199 Wilson Street 
• Victoria Park, 487 Brock Street
• Woodbine Park, 1180 Woodbine Road 

Other open restrooms in Kingston

• Cataraqui Centre shopping mall, 945 Gardiners Road, currently open daily from 11am to 6pm (11am to 5pm Sundays)
• Farm Boy, 940 Futures Gate at Princess
• Kingston Mills Lock, Rideau Canal, 563 Kingston Mills Road
• Lower Brewers Lock, Rideau Canal, 1419 Washburn Road
• Upper Brewers Lock, Rideau Canal, 3000 Brewers Mills Road

Open restrooms at Parks Canada sites

To check the status of the facilities at your favourite national park or national historic site, go to Parks Canada’s COVID-19 information page. Then click the “Specific locations” link.

Here’s the scoop, in a nutshell.

• Most national historic sites’ grounds are open; however, their visitor centres and washroom facilities are closed.
• The public washrooms at lockstations on the Rideau Canal and the Trent-Severn Waterway are open. Here’s a downloadable map showing all 24 lockstations along the Rideau Canal. I’ve also listed them under the name of their community throughout this post.
• Some islands at Thousand Islands National Park are closed; however, the washroom facilities and visitor centre in Mallorytown Landing are open.

Open washrooms in Ontario provincial parks

Enhanced cleaning procedures are in place. If a park is listed here, some comfort stations and/or vault privies are open, but not all of them may be. Showers and laundromats are currently closed. Note that provincial parks have admission fees—so enjoy some hiking, canoeing or swimming while you’re there! Here are the 2020 day use rates for Ontario provincial parks.

• Algonquin, Highway 60, Whitney
• Bon Echo, 16151 Highway 41, Cloyne
• Bonnechere, 4024 Round Lake Road, Killaloe
• Charleston Lake, 148 Woodvale Road, Lansdowne
• Fitzroy, 5201 Canon Smith Drive, Fitzroy Harbour
• Frontenac, 6700 Salmon Lake Road, Sydenham (vault privies only)
• Murphys Point, 2243 Elmgrove Road, Perth
• Rideau River, 2680 Donnelly Drive, Kemptville
• Sandbanks, 3004 County Road 12, Picton
• Sharbot Lake, Civic #25467 Highway 7, Sharbot Lake
• Silver Lake, Civic #22726 Highway 7, Maberly
• Voyageur, 1313 Front Road, Chute-à-Blondeau

Restrooms are open at ONroute service centres

If you’ve ever spent any time on Highway 401, you’ll probably be very familiar with the network of ONroute service centres, which pop up reliably every 100 kilometres or so. They have remained open throughout the pandemic, and washrooms at all ONroute centres are currently open. You’ll also find takeout food restaurants, free wi-fi, ATMs, and outdoor picnic spots and pet areas. Here is an interactive map of all ONroute locations. Centres in Eastern Ontario include the following:

• Westbound: Bainsville, Ingleside, Mallorytown North, Trenton North
• Eastbound: Morrisburg, Mallorytown South, Odessa, Trenton South

Open restrooms elsewhere in Eastern Ontario

Note that I haven’t 100% verified the entries in italics.

Actinolite

• Skootamatta River picnic park, Highway 7 just east of Highway 37 (link includes map)

Arden

• Salmon River picnic park, west of Arden road (link includes map)

Arnprior

• Antrim Truck Stop, 580 White Lake Road: This spot offers takeout food, gas, a convenience store and a bakery. It also once won an award for Ontario’s cleanest washrooms!

Brockville

• Blockhouse Island, downtown (11am to 7pm daily)
• Centeen Park, 70 Water Street East (11am to 7pm daily)
• Hardy Park: washrooms are opening soon
• Real Canadian Superstore, 1972 Parkedale Avenue (washrooms upstairs, as well as one on the lower level across from the wine store)
• Rotary Park, 148 George Street (11am to 7pm daily)
• St. Lawrence Park, 525 King Street West (11am to 7pm daily)

Burleigh Falls

• Eels Creek picnic park, Highway 28, 12 kilometres north of Burleigh Falls (link includes map)

Burritts Rapids

• Burritts Rapids Locks, Rideau Canal, 673 River Road

Cornwall

Facilities are open in the following public parks and facilities in Cornwall:

• Aquatic Centre, 100 Water Street East, east parking lot (portapotty): always open (note that the Aquatic Centre itself has also re-opened, so the washrooms there are available to swimmers)
• Guindon Park, Vincent Massey Drive, at the boat launch and the picnic area, 8am to 8pm
• Lamoureux Park, 100 Water Street East, at the splash pad, 8am to 9pm
• Optimist Park, 301 Sunnyside Avenue, 8am to 8pm

Dacre

• Tooey Lake picnic park, Highway 41, 6 kilometres south of Dacre (link includes map)

Drummond/North Elmsley

• Lower Beveridges Lock, Rideau Canal, 145 Beveridges Lock Road
• Upper Beveridges Lock, Rideau Canal, 171 Beveridges Lock Road

Eganville

• Bonnechere Caves, 1247 Fourth Chute Road (caves are closed to the public this season, but washrooms are open and cleaned daily)
• Tourist information centre, 38 Bonnechere Street West (note that the centre itself is still closed)

Gananoque

• Gananoque Municipal Marina, 21 Bay Street (at the end of Clarence Street)
• McDonald’s, 670 King Street East

Golden Lake

• Golden Lake picnic park, Highway 60, 1.6 kilometres east of Bonnechere River Bridge (link includes map)

Griffith

• Highland Creek picnic park, Highway 41, north of Madawaska River Bridge (link includes map)

Hallville

• Loughlin’s Country Store, County Road 43 and County Road 1 North

Hawkesbury

• Confederation Park, 3 Cartier Boulevard

Iroquois

• Iroquois Beach (8am to 4pm weekdays)

Limerick

• Robinson Lake, Highway 62, 1 kilometre north of Hastings Road 620 (about 15 minutes south of Bancroft) (link includes map)

Lyndhurst

• Furnace Falls Park, Lyndhurst Road (County Road 33) (fully accessible, with ramps and electric doors)

Madawaska

• Madawaska picnic park, Highway 60, 4 kilometres east of Madawaska (link includes map)

Merrickville–Wolford

• Edmonds Lock, Rideau Canal, 147 Edmonds Lock Lane
• Lower Nicholsons Lock, Rideau Canal, 41 Nicholson Lane
• Mainstreet Family Restaurant and Patio, 112 Main Street West (for customers)
• Merrickville Lock, Rideau Canal, 111A Main Street East
• Public parking lot, Wellington Street West (next to Merrickville Veterinary Services): accessible, portable washroom, open 10am to 6pm daily
• Rink House, Main Street West (by the outdoor rink surface, next to Nana B’s Bakery): public washroom, open 10am to 6pm daily
• Upper Nicholsons Lock, Rideau Canal, 121 Andrewsville Road
• Village Bean Cafe, 205B St. Lawrence Street (for customers)

Millhaven

• Ellesmere Park picnic area, Highway 33, 2 kilometres west of Lennox and Addington Road 4 (link includes map)

Montague

• Clowes Lock, Rideau Canal, 495 Heritage Drive
• Kilmarnock Lock, Rideau Canal, 1424 Kilmarnock Road

Morrisburg

• Morrisburg Beach (portapotty opening soon, will be open from 8am to 4pm on weekdays)
• Public dock, 1 Lakeshore Drive

Newboro

• Newboro Lock, Rideau Canal, 10 Blockhouse Lane

Odessa

• Parrott’s Bay Park picnic area, Highway 33, 2 kilometres west of Lennox and Addington Road 6 (link includes map)

Petawawa

• Petawawa Point Park
• Petawawa picnic park, Highway 17, west of Black Bay Road (link includes map)

Prescott

• Sandra S. Lawn Harbour and Marina, 191 Water Street East

Prince Edward County

Here’s a great interactive map of the public washrooms currently open in Prince Edward County, including restrooms in Picton, Bloomfield and Wellington.

Renfrew

• Sterling’s No Frills, 680 O’Brien Road
• Tim Hortons/Wendy’s, 383 Stewart Street

Rideau Lakes (Township of)

• Chaffeys Lock, Rideau Canal, 1723 Chaffeys Lock Road
• Davis Lock, Rideau Canal, 1822 Davis Lock Road
• Four Mile In Park picnic park, Highway 15 just south of Golf Club Road, between Smiths Falls and Lombardy (link includes map)
• Jones Falls Lock, Rideau Canal, 182 Lock Road
• Narrows Lock, Rideau Canal, 1275 Narrows Lock Road
• Poonamalie Lock, Rideau Canal, 22 Poonamalie Road

Rockland

• Walmart, 3001 Richelieu Street

Rolphton

• Melleurs Bay picnic park, Highway 17, 0.48 kilometres east of Stewart Lane (link includes map)

Silver Lake

• Silver Lake picnic park, Highway 7, west of Silver Lake Provincial Park (link includes map)

Westport

• Westport Visitors’ Centre, 3 Spring Street (open 9am to 5pm)

Wilno

• Wilno scenic lookout, Highway 60 at Shrine Hill Drive, 1.5 kilometres east of Wilno (link includes map)

More possibilities: National chains

A number of readers have mentioned that several national chains may offer public restrooms. Some stores and restaurants are constrained by local bylaws or do not offer facilities for other reasons. However, here are links to search for locations of chains that may offer facilities. Contact the relevant location directly to confirm before heading out. And don’t forget to buy something while you’re there!

• Circle K convenience stores, Ontario (click the Store Locator tab at the top of the page)
• Costco (click the Find a Warehouse tab at the top of the page)
• Couche-Tard convenience stores, Quebec (click the Nos Magasins tab at the top of the page)
• HomeSense
• McDonald’s
• Real Canadian Superstore
• Rona
• Starbucks
• Tim Hortons
• Walmart

Now that you know that you can go, are you looking for ideas for where you can go on a day trip? Check out my list of 25 great Eastern Ontario road trips you can take right now. My post on re-opening dates of nearby tourist spots is also packed with information. And you can subscribe to my free weekly newsletter for even more ideas!