Keeping the Period Promise
Pilot project between public board, United Way will see free tampons, pads coming to 10 city schools
Free menstrual products will soon be available in 10 Hamilton schools.
A new pilot project, launched jointly by the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) and the United Way of Halton and Hamilton, will see thousands of menstrual products available to students in 10 local public schools.
“There are too many in our community who do not have the resources to purchase products,” said Brenda Hajdu, vicepresident of marketing and communications with the United Way. “As a result, too many women, transgender and nonbinary people miss out on education, work, social and other important life opportunities.”
The project is part of a United Way campaign called Period Promise which strives to ensure everyone who bleeds has access to the products they need. The HWDSB health team chose the schools based off its determination of which would benefit most, Hajdu said.
High schools receiving supplies include Bernie Custis and Sir Winston Churchill. Elementary schools receiving supplies include Cathy Wever, Hess Street, Memorial City, Adelaide Hoodless, Prince of Wales, Queen Mary, Queen Victoria and Bennetto.
Each of the schools will receive a portion of the 30,000 tampon, pad and liner products donated to the United Way last year. Some of the products will also be sent to local charities and organizations such as the YWCA.
In a statement, HWDSB said it appreciates the support of the United Way in helping to address the struggle to buy period products. “This is an important issue in our community, and we are always looking for ways to increase student well-being and remove barriers to learning. We are researching how this may be made sustainable.”
The United Way had planned to present the donation to the school board Thursday, but the event was postponed. It will be up to the board and individual schools to determine how they distribute to products, the United Way said.
In September, board chair Alex Johnstone told The Spectator staff were in the early stages of talks with the city and community partners to make menstrual products available for free at school. She said students can always go to the school office to ask for free products but “that can be a difficult request.”
Marnie Jadon, spokesperson for the Catholic school board, said the board doesn’t have a specific program in place, but “schools do provide menstrual and personal care products to students on an individual and as-needed basis.”
Across Ontario, other school boards are already providing free products, or plan to soon. The Simcoe County District School Board voted Wednesday to start providing free menstrual products in high schools starting in September. The Toronto District School Board decided in September 2019 to make menstrual products free to all students. The Thames Valley District School Board in London also offers free products.
In British Columbia, the province issued a ministerial order in 2019 requiring schools to make free menstrual products available in bathrooms.
The issue of providing free menstrual products became a hot-button issue in Hamilton when the city’s board of health voted down a motion by Coun. Maureen Wilson in May to offer free menstrual products in some municipal buildings and to engage in discussions with school boards about offering students free products. Public backlash — in part in response to comments by Coun. Esther Pauls about being “uncomfortable” discussing menstrual hygiene in public — was swift.
Now, the city has decided it will make menstrual products available for free at local food banks and five city recreation centres as part of a year-long pilot project.