School districts charge forward with free feminine hygiene products in girls’ washrooms, as the Ministry of Education lags behind.
VICTORIA — Annie Ohana was in her classroom at L.A. Matheson high school in Surrey last week, when an all-too-common scene played out. A young woman ducked into her room after the final bell rang and quietly asked: “Ms. Ohana, do you have a tampon or pad?”
It’s a question increasingly being asked by teachers, parents, students and advocates in hundreds of schools across the province. Why is there no provincial funding to provide free tampons and pads for female students in school washrooms? Some girls can’t afford to buy their own products. And there’s cultural and social stigmas around menstruation that can leave young women, at a difficult time in their life, isolated from family and friends. It’s even more difficult if the student is transgender. The very least the education system could do is offer them a discreet, free, and easy way to get a tampon or pad from every school washroom, without having to ask.
Weaver’s own quick calculations — done in the middle of an interview using public pricing for hygiene products — pegged the rough cost at $200,000 a month for the education system, or $2.4 million a year to give more than 260,000 enrolled female students access to tampons and pads. Or Sussanne Skidmore, the secretary-treasurer of the B.C. Federation of Labour who is helping lead the United Way’s Period Promise campaign that sent a letter to Fleming on March 7 asking him to “take a leadership role in addressing period poverty in our province.”
Social Development Minister Shane Simpson is set to announce B.C.’s new poverty reduction strategy on Monday. There’s no good reason why this couldn’t be included.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
In The House podcast: B.C. NDP shaky on education file in Vancouver, SurreyEducation Minister Rob Fleming is learning the difference between governing and being a critic on issues like Surrey school portables and Vancouver school closures.
Read more »
Canadiens Takeaways: Andrew Shaw calls out team for lack of fight - Sportsnet.ca“They came out to win the game from the start. They wanted to win more than we did.” Andrew Shaw did not mince his words when asked about the difference between the Canadiens and Islanders' effort. EricEngels has that and more in his takeaways.
Read more »
Study finds killing wolves and moose, penning pregnant cows might help caribou population‘Unfortunately, it’s that black or white,’ said Rob Serrouya, a University of Alberta biologist and lead author of the study
Read more »
North Vancouver's break-out burglar is behind barsNorth Vancouver RCMP says Shane Davidson would walk into a store, hide in the ceiling until it closed and then rob the place
Read more »
Carrick Talks Money: Rob's financial rules for car buyingRob Carrick thinks people are spending too much money on vehicles these days and shares some financial rules he follows when buying a car.
Read more »
China accuses U.S. of prejudice over human rights issuesChina responded to new U.S. allegations of widespread human rights abuses with its own accusations of prejudice and interference, saying Thursday that Washington should drop its 'Cold War mentality' and stop interfering in China's internal affairs.
Read more »
Saudi human-rights official dismisses inquiry into Khashoggi killing as foreign interferenceHead of the state-backed commission’s comments come as Interpol issues red notices for 20 individuals connected to the Washington Post journalist’s death
Read more »
Departing director of Saskatoon gallery addresses human rights complaints against him for first time‘I am eager to clear any speculation of wrongdoing since the allegation has been incorrectly characterized in media reports,’ departing director Gregory Burke says
Read more »