Starting on Friday, federally-regulated employers will have to provide menstrual products in all workplace washrooms.
The new law requires workplaces to make menstrual products readily available in all toilet facilities controlled by the employer.
It also states that menstrual products must be accessible in all toilet rooms, regardless of their marked genders, meaning every female-identified, male-identified and all-gender toilet rooms will need to carry menstrual products.
According to the new rules, offering unrestricted access to menstrual products serves to better protect employees and ensures they feel safe to use the toilet room that best reflects their gender.
Employers will also be required to provide the necessary disposal containers in each toilet stall, and one in every room with a single toilet.
Currently, federal employers must provide basic sanitation products, such as soap and toilet paper.
According to the new requirements, offering menstrual products will improve employee health, workplace productivity and help to destigmatize menstruation.
Workplace access will also reduce the medical and psychological impacts of having to reuse products designed for one-time use and eliminate the risks associated with relying on products for longer than recommended.
Under the regulations, menstrual products include both tampons and pads. However, employees may assess the viability of reusable options. Doing so would not replace the need to provide tampons and pads.
Though the choice of menstrual products will be left to the discretion of the employer, consulting employees is recommended and the regulations suggest considering the following factors:
- employee feedback and actual use of the products
- body sizes and menstrual flow
- product types, sizes, and absorbency
- cultural values, beliefs, and experience with menstrual product use
- scent-free options or environmentally-friendly products such as tampons with cardboard applicators
Danielle Kaftarian, executive director of The Period Purse, a Toronto charity striving to create menstrual equity by ensuring sustainable access to period products, told Now Toronto that this new regulation is “monumental… and a great first step in achieving accessibility, affordability, and dignity for all people with periods.”
Advocacy organization Moon Time Connections, a women’s rights group protecting the interests of Indigenous menstruators, said it is pleased to see movement from the government to address access to menstrual products, and called on provincial and municipal governments to follow suit.
“It’s vital for everyone to have access no matter where they work, attend school, or if they are in public spaces…we know that in the north, menstruators are regularly missing out on work and other daily activities because of lack of access. Knowing there will be products available at one’s workplace will help ease the financial burden of purchasing products, and reduce the anxiety many feel when they don’t have a menstrual product,” Moon Time Connections told Now Toronto in an email statement.
Similarly, Megan Poole, manager of community relations and communications at The 519, a Toronto community agency advocating for the evolving needs of 2SLGBTQ+ people, told Now Toronto that it is “encouraged by this first step towards gender equity.”
“The importance of accessible menstrual products cannot be understated in affirming trans and non-binary communities as well as everyone who menstruates. Having discrete, low-barrier access to this important piece of healthcare means reduced stigma and shame around the body. Congratulations to all who have advocated continuously and thank you,” Poole concluded.
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