Port Edward, a small community located just south of Prince Rupert in northwest British Columbia, is offering complimentary low-flush toilets to its residents on a first-come, first-serve basis. These toilets have been stored in the district office’s basement for the past 20 years, leftover from a water conservation initiative in 2003.
Tyson Schofield, the district’s chief administrative officer, expressed that the toilets were taking up unnecessary space in the basement and decided to distribute them to residents for their intended use. Schofield, who joined Port Edward in June from the City of Delta, uncovered 35 toilets in the office basement and initiated the program to provide them at no cost.
The district announced the free toilet giveaway on August 27 via social media, using an image of Oprah Winfrey with the caption, “You get a toilet! You get a toilet! You get a toilet!” By the following day, 18 toilets had already been claimed by residents.
One of the residents, Teresa Andrews, praised the initiative, stating that it allowed her to upgrade her toilets without the need to purchase new ones from a store. Schofield mentioned that the original purchase of the toilets in 2003 was linked to a water treatment plant reconstruction project that required reduced water usage to secure grant funding.
While acknowledging the age of the toilets, over 20 years old, Schofield couldn’t guarantee their quality but mentioned that two of them had been successfully installed in the district office. He highlighted the importance of water conservation, stating that despite not being perfect, reducing water usage was always beneficial.
