Major gap in period product availability in B.C.: report

It’s a health care issue that desperately needs more attention in British Columbia.

A new assessment from United Way BC shows that more than 14 million individual menstrual products are needed in B.C. by those who can’t afford them.

“I think with the rising cost of living, more and more people are struggling to afford basic necessities. That is not a surprise to many of us who are struggling paycheque to paycheque,” Rachel Allan, labour partnership representative at United Way BC, told 1130 NewsRadio.

“This idea of who’s effected by period poverty is definitely shifting. It’s your average working person. It is your everyday worker who is struggling to afford product,” Allan explained.

She explains that United Way’s goal this year is to collect 500,000 donations, but admits that it’s nowhere near close to enough.

“Accessibility is a huge issue,” said Allan, who wants municipal leaders to step up. “[They] have the ability to add a line on their budget and [have] menstrual products as just part of their budgeted necessities, like they do toilet paper, soap, or first-aid supplies.”

Allan doesn’t understand why, given the fact that it’s 2025, there hasn’t been more action to address the availability gap.

“One of the number one things that I’ve heard from people is, ‘Well, this is Canada. It’s not that bad. It’s so much worse in other countries.’ But the reality of it is it really tough for the average person to make ends meet these days. This is a growing concern for so many of us, and it should be a growing concern for everybody. I don’t have the answer as to why it’s like this in 2025.”

Allan says the stigma around menstruation continues to be another challenge.

“This is something that is not overtly in the public’s eyes, most people struggle in silence. They’re not talking about it. There are also cultural taboos around talking about menstrual cycles. I think the more we elevate this problem into the public’s awareness, the easier it is going to be for us to have wins to see period poverty eradicated in Canada.”

Allan wants every facility, business, or organization that has a public washroom to provide free products. She says she often hears it’s too expensive to keep items in stock, to which she has this response.

“People aren’t stealing products, they’re taking the product that they need, and that’s huge. Once it becomes normalized that this is not going anywhere, that it’s not a fleeting response to a problem that is pervasive, you see less and less people ‘hoarding’ products.

“At the end of the day, if somebody is taking a bunch of product home, it’s probably because they need it.”

Menstrual products are free for those in federally mandated workplaces, and were provincially mandated for B.C. school districts back in 2019.