The five finalists in Cintas’ 12th annual Canada’s Best Restroom Award have been revealed.
First presented by Cintas in 2010, the annual award program honours businesses that value hygiene and style and recognize the parallel between clean restrooms and customer retention.
The facility that receives the most votes will win $2,500 in facility services from Cintas to help maintain its award-winning washrooms.
Nominees for this year’s contest were judged on five criteria: cleanliness, visual appeal, innovation, functionality, and unique design elements.
The five finalists are:
- Toronto Zoo – Toronto, ON
The new washrooms in the Zoo’s Tundra Trek feature iconic Canadian species with a design that draws on inspiration from the natural world for its fresh yet familiar atmosphere. Each handwashing unit features a hands-free faucet, soap dispenser, and hand dryer, while the trough-style sink eliminates water splashing on the floor and includes hooks on the outside of the counter to hang a purse, backpack or coat.
- Surrey Park – Surrey, BC
The intent for the park washroom was to create a playful, durable, safe facility that works well within the City of Surrey’s park contexts. The washroom was designed to be universally accessible, hands-free with no-touch fixtures and configured for solar power. It also features public art panels on all four sides of the structure. The design employs a distinct form, strong colours, and unique use of materials.
- Sweet Market Esso Station – Red Deer, AB
The washrooms at Sweet Market Esso boast decorative high-end tiles and five-star finishes, mimicking a fancy hotel suite rather than a convenience store restroom. These washrooms are always a topic of customer conversation in the store where selfies take centre stage. The appreciation for the washroom, and the extreme cleanliness, are great reminders of the sheer elegance and grandeur these restrooms provide for the customer.
- The ROOFTOP – Calgary, AB
The ROOFTOP restaurant is a unique “weather-managed” outdoor patio experience located in downtown Calgary. The adjacent indoor washrooms were designed to be inclusive, engaging, and distinctively unique, with a life-sized bobblehead re-imagined as your personal concierge, graffiti wallpaper sections taken largely from the “John Lennon Peace Wall” originally created in Prague, and elements of surprise throughout.
- Borden Park – Edmonton, AB
An integrated approach to environmental sustainability is evident in the choice of materials: wood, concrete, and glass were selected for their durability, permanence, and timelessness. The washroom features hands-free elements to reduce germs and a stainless-steel trough-style sink that prevents water splashing on the floor. The sleek washroom stands as a striking improvement on the typical concrete options, and a sign of outstanding design to come.
“These five facilities demonstrate a commitment to prioritizing hygiene and customer service – especially as cleanliness is so important right now – combined with creativity and whimsy not usually seen in washrooms,” said Candice Raynsford, Marketing Manager, Cintas Canada.
The public is invited to vote for its top pick at www.bestrestroom.com/ca/ through July 9.
The winner and runner-up will be revealed in the fall, and the most popular nominees will be enshrined in Cintas’ Canada’s Best Restroom Contest Hall of Fame. The grand prize winner will also receive a Cintas UltraClean® system and CAN$2,500 worth of services from Cintas.
To view the finalists and cast your vote, visit www.bestrestroom.com/ca/.
Last year, the Canada’s Best Restroom 2020 competition was won by Alberta’s Westview RV Park.
