Ontario Extends Partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart to Provide Free Menstrual Products in Schools

The Ford government has announced a renewed multi-year agreement with Shoppers Drug Mart to provide free menstrual products in Ontario schools.

The three-year deal, revealed by Minister of Education Todd Smith and Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity Charmaine Williams in Brampton on Monday, is an extension of the Menstrual Equity Initiative first launched in 2021. This agreement ensures that free menstrual products will be available to all school boards and school authorities across the province, Smith told reporters.

“We know that when students can’t access or afford menstrual products, it often results in them missing school, work, or other activities – but we’re changing that,” Smith said. “Access to products through Ontario’s Menstrual Equity Initiative is just one more way we are removing barriers for women and girls so they can reach their full potential and realize their dreams.”

This marks the second time the Ford government has contracted Shoppers Drug Mart to distribute free pads and tampons in Ontario schools. Altogether, the national pharmacy retailer is set to provide more than 23 million pads and tampons—three million more than the previous agreement, according to Smith—and over 1,300 menstrual product dispensers to Ontario schools over the next three years.

“By providing essential products, we are not only supporting the physical and emotional health of students but also enabling them to focus on their education and extracurricular activities without financial barriers,” Williams told reporters.

In the past year, the province also introduced free menstrual products in food banks and mandated that construction sites offer pads and tampons to workers.