Letter to city may take some councillors out of their comfort zone
Published October 22, 2019 at 10:41 pm
City correspondence could reignite a contentious issue which could take some councillors out of their comfort zone.
City correspondence could reignite a contentious issue which could take some councillors out of their comfort zone.
In front of City Council on Wednesday is correspondence from the City of St. Catharines on their pilot program that puts menstrual products in public washrooms.
“At its meeting of September 23, 2019, St. Catharines City Council supported the implementation of a pilot project to provide free menstrual products at City Facilities,” the letter, addressed to all Ontario Municipalities and dated early October proclaims.
Earlier this year, Hamilton’s board of health voted to opt-out of a pilot project similar to this one that would put menstrual pads and tampons in some municipal bathrooms and they would be free to use.
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When the board of health debated the issue back in May, many felt the availability of the products was a human rights issue while others felt that the economic impact of such a program would be too great for the municipality to shoulder.
But it was Councillor Esther Pauls’ comments that she felt ‘uncomfortable’ talking about women’s periods in public that gained the most attention.
On the heels of her comments, which many consider out-of-touch and insensitive to the issue of period equity, the media backlash was swift and fierce especially since she was among those who vetoed the plan.
Amid the ensuing backlash and in an effort to find a middle ground, a week later City Council did vote to support a motion which would provide free pads and tampons to low-income residents.
Photo courtesy Marco Verch via Flickr.
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