The City of Burlington is launching a pilot project to provide free menstrual products in public washrooms.
The pilot will continue through the rest of the year, and includes 90 public washrooms and 19 facilities, including city hall.
Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward says the city is committed to the program, but the way it is being delivered could be a work in progress.
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“There are a couple of different ways to do this. You can install dispensers — that requires a bit of capital investment,” Meed Ward says.
“We chose to go a different route, and that’s to provide baskets on the counterpot that would be restocked regularly, so we’re going to test that out.”
Meed Ward says the initiative was started by two young women to raise awareness about period poverty, and calls it a big step forward for “equity, diversity and inclusion.”
The mayor adds that she’s “thrilled” with the response from the community which has been “overwhelmingly positive.”
A similar one-year pilot project started late last year in Hamilton after the launch had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since Dec. 1, residents have been able to access period products in Hamilton Food Share’s 23 emergency food centres.
Menstrual products are also available in five Hamilton recreation centres: Dalewood Recreation Centre; Dominic Agostino Riverdale Community Centre; Huntington Park Recreation Centre; Normal Pinky Lewis Recreation Centre; and Westmount Recreation Centre.