Ontario, Shoppers Drug Mart partner to offer free menstrual products in schools

The Ford government is teaming up with Shoppers Drug Mart to give students across the province access to free menstrual products.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce made the announcement on Friday morning saying the program will run over the next three years. Shoppers will be delivering six million menstrual products per year to school boards across the province.

“Through the strong advocacy of young leaders in our schools, it has become extremely clear that menstrual products are a necessity, not a luxury,” said Minister Lecce in a statement.

“This agreement will help remove barriers for women and girls by allowing them to access products at school, free of charge. It is another important way that we are helping to build more inclusive schools that empower all girls to have the confidence to succeed.”

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Lecce says the products will be available for all high school students with some products available to elementary and middle school students who require them.

The boards will be in charge of deciding how to distribute the sanitary pads based on local needs. The products are expected to be available to students by late fall.

The government is citing a survey conducted by Plan International Canada that showed 63 per cent of women and girls have missed a school activity due to concerns of not being able to access menstrual products. Student trustees and more than half of the school boards across Ontario reported a need to address access to menstrual products.

“I thank the government for taking action and I hope to continue dismounting the stigma that surrounds menstruation,” said Keith Baybaylon, President of the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association. “The fight is far from over but now we’ve seen progress.”

NDP education critic Marit Stiles released a statement saying the announcement is an important step but it needs some improvements.

“(The) announcement is a victory for the students, organizations and school boards who have fought for years for governments to address the issue of period poverty and ensure no student ever faces embarrassment or misses school because of lack of access to menstrual products.”

“It fails to guarantee that all schools will get an adequate or dedicated supply of period products, and won’t give students sufficient choice, offering only pads, but no tampons or cups.”

The agreement is the first of its kind for the province and Ontario joins British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island as the fourth province to implement a similar program.

Some school boards within Ontario had already implemented similar program, including the Toronto District School Board.