Free period product dispensers to be installed at Edmonton Catholic Schools
The Edmonton Catholic School Division (ECSD) will fully equip all washrooms with free period products by the fall.
On Tuesday, ECSD announced its commitment to ending period poverty by ensuring all washrooms for Grades 4 and up have dispensers full of no-cost hygiene products and disposal receptacles in the stalls.
In an effort to strengthen equity in schools, the division said it's making sure students no longer face barriers due to a lack of access to products.
“No student should have to skip class or feel embarrassed because they cannot access period products,” Sandra Palazzo, board chair, said.
Until the dispensers are installed, Palazzo said free products are currently available for students in the main office of ECSD schools.
Last year, a school-wide research project was held at St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School, assessing the need for period product access.
The study found 94 per cent of female respondents and the majority of males thought students should have products and disposal options in washrooms.
It also found there was a shared concern from students around the cost of purchasing products.
“Period poverty is a real issue in schools,” Kennedy Devlin, an AP student at St. Francis Xavier, explained. “Yet often goes undiscussed because of stigma around it.”
“Having to hide pads or tampons in their sleeves, asking a teacher for help, or worrying about missing class because of a lack of products at their disposal is one stress factor that could be alleviated by making products readily available.”
In June 2021, the school installed dispensers and receptacles as part of a pilot program.
“It’s amazing that Edmonton Catholic heard this need through our research and are clearly addressing it,” Sophia Rouget, another Grade 12 student on the research project, added.
According to ECSD, it’ll cost about $300,000 to implement the initiative and it will be funded by the Operations and Maintenance budget of the division.
The dispensers and receptacles are expected to be installed by September of this year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS 'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
Diddy admits beating ex-girlfriend Cassie, says he's sorry, calls his actions 'inexcusable'
Sean 'Diddy' Combs admitted Sunday that he beat his ex-girlfriend in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN released video of the attack, saying in a video apology he was 'truly sorry' and his actions were 'inexcusable.'
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
Residents evacuated after threats made to residence in Fall River, N.S.
Nova Scotia RCMP are warning the public to avoid the area around Canterbury Lane in Fall River after a threat was made at a residence.
French security forces work to regain control of airport highway in violence-scorched New Caledonia
Using armoured vehicles and backhoes to shove aside charred barricades, French security forces worked Sunday to retake control of the highway to the international airport in violence-scorched New Caledonia, shuttered because of deadly unrest wracking the French Pacific archipelago where indigenous people have long sought independence from France.
The secret Italian lakes that most tourists don't know about
Italy has dozens of secret smaller lakes that boast superb scenery, unknown to mass tourism, where locals get together on day trips and enjoy picnics.
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Ottawa driver who appeared to be racing another vehicle on Highway 416 facing charges
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says an Ottawa driver is facing charges after being caught going 187 km/h on Highway 416.
Canadian immigration asks medical worker fleeing Gaza if he treated Hamas fighters
Lawyers are questioning Canada’s approach to screening visa applications for people in Gaza with extended family in Canada after one applicant, a medical worker, was asked whether he had treated members of Hamas.