Cast a vote for Canada's best public Powder Rooms

Web 2.0 for public restrooms: Canadians asked to upload, rate and comment
                       on the country's best restroomsTORONTO, March 5 /CNW/ - Last year, Canadians helped the Powder Room - a
national, fully bilingual educational program for individuals with overactive
bladder - locate the country's best public restrooms at www.powderroom.ca. Out
of more than 450 restrooms rated, 10 winners across the country earned the
"Powder Room Seal of Approval" and received a unique silver plaque, along with
being showcased prominently on the interactive Cross-Canada Powder Room Map.
    The Powder Room asks Canadians to once again log-on to the Powder Room
website to add, rate and comment on public restrooms across the country. The
highest-rated facilities will receive the "Powder Room Seal of Approval" this
spring, guiding travellers to the best pit-stops in time for road-trip season.
A new category has also been added this year - the Powder Room "Fan Favourite"
will be awarded to the restroom that receives the highest number of votes
overall.
    "Powder Room Seal of Approval" recipient, Crystal Dorey, Aboriginal
Interpretive Program Coordinator at Glooscap Heritage Centre in Truro, Nova
Scotia, notes that the Centre "received a great response from the community
and local media when the Glooscap Heritage Centre won the award last year."
She says, "Quite a few visitors stopped by to check out our restrooms because
they had heard about us in the news. Since then, we've added some decorative
touches, like photos of Nova Scotia. Of course, we've also continued to keep
the facilities clean for our visitors!"
    This popular campaign has already enabled establishments to demonstrate
how dedicated they are to providing restrooms that live up to the quality that
their visitors expect - a trait that is important to the Powder Room. "The
Powder Room Seal of Approval is a great badge of honour for Yorkdale," says
Anthony Casalanguida, General Manager of Yorkdale Shopping Centre in North
York, Ontario, which received top honours for Ontario last year. "Some of our
recent upgrades - like low-flush toilets, leather padding on infant changing
tables and environmentally-friendly paper towel dispensers - are examples of
the little things we do to make the experience a positive one."
    Using Google mapping technology, the Powder Room developed the
Cross-Canada Powder Room Map in response to a consumer survey that revealed
that one in 10 Canadian women limit travel plans because they are concerned
about the need to find a bathroom(1). Fran Stewart, Nurse Continence Advisor
at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, explains, "It is extremely common
for individuals with overactive bladder, and other bladder problems, to use
the "toilet mapping" technique - planning out where they will use the restroom
before they leave the house."
    Restroom evaluations on the Cross-Canada Powder Room Map follow a
five-star rating system based on accessibility, line-ups, cleanliness,
location and overall decor. Establishments that have a Powder Room worth
bragging about are encouraged to tell their visitors about the Cross-Canada
Powder Room Map and encourage them to vote. Flyers can be downloaded at
www.powderroom.ca.ABOUT OVERACTIVE BLADDER
    ------------------------Overactive bladder affects approximately 12 to 18 per cent of Canadians.
Having the sudden "urge" to urinate, even when the bladder is not full, is the
primary symptom of overactive bladder and not, as some believe, incontinence
(urine leakage).(2,3)
    In a person with overactive bladder, the bladder muscle begins to
contract while the bladder is filling with urine, rather than when the bladder
is full. The individual experiences a sudden need to go to the restroom, which
can be difficult to manage and inconvenient, especially when someone is in a
business meeting or travelling.ABOUT THE POWDER ROOM
    ---------------------The Powder Room is a national and fully bilingual educational program
developed in collaboration with Canadian healthcare professionals. The program
works to improve the quality of life of individuals with overactive bladder by
helping them to understand, manage and treat the condition. For more
information on overactive bladder, visit www.powderroom.ca. The Powder Room
has been made possible through an education grant from Astellas Pharma Canada,
Inc., a leader in the field of urology.REFERENCES
    ----------

    1.  The Strategic Counsel. "Overactive Bladder Awareness - an online
        survey". October, 2006.

    2.  Kelleher C, et al. Improved Quality of Life in Patients with
        Overactive Bladder Symptoms treated with Solifenacin. BJU
        International 2005; 95:81-85.

    3.  Wein A, Rackley, R. Overactive Bladder: A Better Understanding of
        Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Management. J Urology 2006;
        175:S5-S10.

    /NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
    the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca.
    Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
    website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
    members of the media/

For further information: Communications MECA, Lindsay Peterson,
1-866-337-3362, Email: [e-mail]; Rene Samulewitsch, Communications
MECA, 1-866-337-3362, Email: [e-mail]