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Victoria outdoor public loo voted best place in Canada to ‘go’

If you are looking for the No. 1 public place to take a No. 1 or No. 2, head to Victoria.

The public toilet near Bastion Square was voted as the best place in Canada to "go", according to Cintas' Canada's Best Restroom Contest.

The Langley Street Loo beat out washrooms in the This Is London Club and Earls restaurant in Toronto, The Georgian Court Hotel in Vancouver and the Centre for Professional Training in Repentigny, Quebec. Those places finished two through five respectively.

As for Victoria mayor Dean Fortin, he's "flushed with pride."

"The Langley Street Loo is part of a larger strategy that ensures our downtown is vibrant and safe — day and night," said Victoria Mayor, Dean Fortin, in a statement. "Access to public amenities, like a 24-hour washroom, are important to our downtown community.
It is even better when those amenities are attractive and innovative."

The Langley Street Loo has an open design allowing for personal privacy and public access, according to the statement. It is a unisex bathroom with exterior hand washing station and the exterior has a graffiti-proof coating. People with disabilities can also use the facility.

Cintas provides entrance mats, restroom cleaning and supplies and other services to tens of thousands of business in Canada.

The toilet offers 24/7 relief for anyone in the area. It was purchased from the City of Portland, Oregon for $90,000 last year and is maintained by the city's sanitation crews.

The commodious competition began in the U.S. about a decade ago and this was the third year it has been conducted in Canada. In the U.S. everything from a restaurant to an airport and a university hall to a market with a Port-o-let-looking bathroom have won.

Last year, e11even's contemporary washroom in Toronto took top prize, beating out the Allstream Centre in Toronto and the Ottawa Convention Centre. In the inaugural year, The Cactus Club Cafe in Burnaby, B.C. won.

[ Related: Cactus Club claims best restroom award in 2010 ]

The stainless steel structure that won this year is much different compared to the Cactus Club, which features modern art, wood-panelled walls, built-in televisions, floor-to-ceiling smoked glass stall doors, fresh cut flowers and updated reading materials.

Above all the luxury found at some of the top loos, Cintas wants to make the point that having a clean washroom means better business.

"Over 70 per cent of the people have a perception of how that business is run by the cleanliness of their restrooms," says Kirk Kirssin, director of marketing for Cintas, in an online video.

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Cintas is already looking for people to nominate their favourite facilities for next year's competition.

(Photo courtesy of Cintas Canada)

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