A few days after the city of St. John’s closed the bathrooms at Bannerman Park due to what it called serious public safety issues, the city issued a news release late yesterday afternoon announcing that the facility was reopening.

The bathrooms are reopening today at 4:00 p.m. thanks to additional resources arranged in collaboration with the provincial government. That includes what the city calls enhanced cleaning and security, so that the bathrooms can remain open 24/7.

Meanwhile, yesterday two porta-potties were delivered to the grounds of Colonial Building where a tent encampment has been set up for weeks. At least one of the porta-potties was provided by NAPE.

A “ribbon cutting” ceremony organized by a group representing the residents of the tent encampment is planned for this morning to celebrate the delivery of the porta potties.

The provincial government has joined with the capital city and a number of community groups including End Homelessness St. John’s, The Gathering Place, Thrive and Stella’s Circle in the creation of a task force to ensure that all major players are aligned in response to needs and supports for those who are homeless.

The ceremony is planned for 11:00 this morning.