Menstrual products will now be available free of charge at new locations throughout the Agassiz.
During their Oct. 11 meeting, the District of Kent Council unanimously approved availability of menstrual products at the Agassiz Library and the Community Recreation and Cultural Centre.
The products will be available to community members on a one-year-trial basis to give district staff time to assess types of dispensers needed among other logistical factors. This trial period is expected to begin sometime before the end of the year.
RELATED: Project AIM calls on District of Kent to fight period poverty
This vote followed up on a delegation’s request during the June 26 meeting. Representatives from Agassiz-based non-profit Project AIM and Chilliwack-Kent MLA Kelli Paddon. Project AIM executive volunteer Tiffany Francis said just over half of people who menstruate struggle to afford menstrual products, which would statistically account for about 1,300 people in the district.
Project AIM was founded in 2020 with the mission of providing free-of-charge menstrual and incontinence products to those in need. Their website is projectaimcommunity.com.
Paddon currently serves as the parliamentary secretary for gender equity.
RELATED: Chilliwack-Kent MLA partners with Project AIM to reduce stigma around menstruation
In other council business:
– Council approved a plan to remove the non-monitored green waste bin at 7323 Pioneer Avenue, instead expanding the bin at 7695 Industrial Way. This is to combat rising costs of processing green waste. Signange will be posted before the green bin on Pioneer Avenue is removed, which should be sometime next spring.
– Mayor and Council attended the Union of Biritsh Columbia Municipalities Convention in Vancouver toward the end of September. Couns. Duane Post and Kerstin Schwichtenberg attended an agricultural tour showcasing innovations in farming while Coun. Stan Watchorn went to an accessibility walk that showcased the accessibility features in Vancouver.
– Mayor Sylvia Pranger declared October to be Foster Family Month in the District of Kent.