In the small town of Port Edward, located just south of Prince Rupert in northwest British Columbia, residents are being offered complimentary toilets on a first-come, first-served basis. These low-flush toilets have been stored in the district office’s basement for the past twenty years, remaining from a water conservation project initiated in 2003.
Tyson Schofield, the district’s chief administrative officer, noted that the surplus toilets were occupying valuable space in the basement. Determined to put them to good use, Schofield decided to distribute them to residents for their original purpose. Having recently assumed his role in June after relocating from the City of Delta, Schofield came across 35 unused toilets in the office basement and chose to revive the program by giving them away for free.
Announced through social media on August 27, the district began offering the free water-reduction toilets, using an image of Oprah Winfrey with the caption, “You get a toilet! You get a toilet! You get a toilet!” Within a day, 18 toilets had already been claimed by eager residents.
One such resident, Teresa Andrews, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to upgrade her and her sons’ toilets without incurring expenses at a hardware store. Schofield explained that the toilets were initially purchased in 2003 during a water treatment plant reconstruction project to reduce water usage and secure grant funding.
While acknowledging that the toilets are more than two decades old and their quality cannot be guaranteed, Schofield mentioned that two of them were successfully installed in the district office and have been functioning well. He highlighted the importance of water conservation and the role these toilets can play in reducing water consumption.