THUNDER BAY – The City of Thunder Bay is looking for feedback on a pilot program that has offered free menstrual products in a number of city facilities.
White dispensing units offering two types of free menstrual products were installed in the fall of 2021 at the city's indoor pools and arenas, as well as three public library branches, after city council gave the pilot the green light last year.
A survey on the program is available at the city’s Get Involved website until June 15.
The survey will be used alongside staff feedback and usage data to make a recommendation to council in the fall on whether to continue the program, said Mike Carlucci, supervisor of aquatic operations.
Staff will focus on numbers from the last six months of the pilot, Carlucci said, since COVID-19 forced temporary closures and impacted attendance in late 2021 and early 2022 at the venues where the pilot was rolled out.
The Thunder Bay Public Library hasn't yet compiled usage numbers for its participation in the program, but director of communities Tina Maronese said early indications are positive.
“Anecdotally, we can say it's been very well received," she said. “This is an essential product for people that that need it, and providing it for free is being done in many municipalities, including in schools and universities. So this is kind of a natural extension to that. We're a public facility, many people use us, and we're happy to be able to provide an additional service.”
The program was estimated to cost the city $65,800 in its first year and $41,400 for supplies each year after that. The Thunder Bay Public Library would face estimated annual costs of $13,920 to run the program in its branches.
