mike, a windsor assembly plant worker who’s been involved with the local tampon tuesdays campaign since its beginning, made free menstrual products in city facilities one of his campaign platforms for his unsuccessful run at the ward 7 seat during last year’s byelection. on budget day, he told councillors: “if you want to be a world-class city, this is a world-class move.”
it’s a women’s issue, a health issue and addresses systemic inequality, he said.
“you don’t pay for toilet paper by the square, you don’t have to pay a quarter to dry your hands off, you don’t have to pay a quarter to use hand soap,” he said wednesday. but paying for pads and tampons in public washrooms is “just something that, due to the secrecy and taboo around women’s menstrual cycles, that we don’t address.
“but that’s changing now.”
a movement that started a few years ago with municipalities like london trying pilot projects is gathering momentum. locally, the public school board is targeting 2022 for having dispensers with free menstrual products in all 70 schools. the local catholic board is also considering such an initiative.
mike said based on the london experience, the cost is pretty modest. that city budgeted $25,000 for its one-year pilot project at 40 of its facilities, with most of that money spent on buying and installing new dispensers. last year, it moved forward citywide with an additional 36 facilities. the annual cost of pads and tampons was under $9,000, according to news reports.