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Period products to be provided free of charge at the Q Centre

The City of Colwood, along with the Westshore Parks and Recreation Society and the Victoria Grizzlies, Westshore Wolves and Victoria Shamrocks are all signing on to the United Way’s Period Promise campaign.
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Mitzi Dean, MLA for Esquimalt-Metchosin. SUBMITTED

Period products will soon be provided free of charge in washrooms at the Q Centre in Colwood.

Mitzi Dean, MLA for Esquimalt-Metchosin, made the announcement Saturday at the Victoria Grizzlies’ last hockey game of the regular season.

The City of Colwood, along with the Westshore Parks and Recreation Society and local sports teams the Grizzlies, Westshore Wolves and Victoria Shamrocks are all signing on to the United Way’s Period Promise campaign, Dean said. The campaign aims to increase access to free menstrual products.

“By signing on to this promise, we’re showing that the Q arena and the teams who play here are committed to inclusivity in sports, on and off the rink,” she said.

“This amazing commitment to menstrual health and tackling period poverty means more people will have access to more opportunities, and to join and be a part of the many sports players and fans who love coming to the Q arena.”

Fifty percent of people who menstruate will struggle with access to period products at some point in their lives, often due to cost, Dean said. This could mean missing a practice or game, an important community event or school, which limits access to opportunities and overall quality of life and health.

Having access to period products allows people to be more engaged in their communities. And making sure free period products are available in public schools is also an ongoing priority of the government, she said.

Dean encouraged people at the arena to join the Period Promise campaign and help the United Way of Vancouver Island “fill the bus” with period products on May 28.