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7 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,January 9,2020 w aterloochronicle.ca THIS WEEKS DEALS! JANUARY 9-12 4 DAYS ONLY! THUR 9-9 FRI SAT SUN 9-9 9-6 10-5 MANY STYLES TO CHOOSE .n ot ax on ly ap pli es to aa re ar ug s CLICK VINYL PLANKS 6MM THICK .99¢/SQ FT3.99 12MM THICK LAMINATE $157PER SQ FTREG 3.99 GLASS AND STONE BACKSPLASH $199PER SQ FTREG 8.99 ENGINEERED 5" WIDE X 3/4" THICK HARDWOOD $399PER SQ FTREG 8.99 2-TONE FRIEZE CARPET $187PER SQ FTREG 3.99 MODERN GRAY LEDGESTONE $499PER SQ FTREG 8.99 LAMINATEVINYL TILE TILECARPET HARDWOOD AREA RUGS1362VICTORIA ST N. KITCHENERMON-FRI 9AM-9PM SAT 9AM-6PM SUN 10AM-5PM * pr od uc ts m ay no tb e e 5'X7' SHAG AREA RUGS $4999STARTINGFROM NO TAX TILE It was news from the city, but it wasn't delivered in the usual manner. There was no item on any agenda to signal a ro- bust discussion in the council chamber, or to in- vite members of the public to weigh in with arguments of their own. Instead, staff at the City of Kitchener arrived at a reasonable decision and implemented it. Just like that, we'd be- gun a pilot project to pro- vide free menstrual prod- ucts in city facilities. The idea is not the first of its kind in Waterloo Re- gion, and that's a good thing. It was the Waterloo Re- gion District School Board that blazed the trail locally, followed by the main branch of the Kitchener Public Library. The Waterloo Public Li- brary is also on-board. Kitchener, however, be- comes the first of our re- gion's seven municipalities to adopt the practice, and one would hope others soon follow suit. Cambridge recently had the opportunity to be the pioneers in this regard, but it debated down the idea based on a perceived lack of need and a misguided no- tion that the regional health department needed to get involved. Kitchener, to its credit, just got it done and Mayor Berry Vrbanovic was quick to praise the rapid nature of the decision. "Very proud of our staff for bringing this long over- due improvement to wom- en's bathrooms," Vrbanov- ic tweeted. "No big debates. No controversy. Just com- mon sense and doing what's right. A pilot today and hopefully permanent soon!" I doubt the mayor of Kitchener was trying to shame his neighbouring council in Cambridge, but it does show how easily the plan can be implemented, without any input or sup- port from Public Health and without any council debates. Kitchener now joins London as a southern On- tario municipality offering free menstrual products in city facilities, and Sarnia is also about to join the move- ment. So, uh, I'm now looking at you, Waterloo. And hello up there, Re- gion of Waterloo! You too, Wilmot. And Wellesley and, well, you get the idea. Let's end the stigma as- sociated with talking about menstruation and provide dignity to people who have a period. Admittedly, I may be among the very least qual- ified people to make this ar- gument, but the data is not hard to find. Canadian health statis- tics tell us that seven in 10 women in this country have missed school or work due to their period. The non-profit organi- zation "The Period Purse," which has a volunteer chapter in our region, aims to achieve "menstrual eq- uity" and reduce the stigma surrounding periods. It be- lieves "that menstrual health is a shared responsi- bility that will take a collec- tive effort of support, co- operation and active par- ticipation to create real, sustainable change." As Cambridge Coun. Donna Reid pointed out during the debate in her city, we don't scoff at the provision of toilet paper in public washrooms. Why should menstrual products be seen any differently? This is a matter of both equity and dignity and it's time we moved forward with a regionwide initia- tive. Period. Columnist Mike Far- well is a broadcaster, MC and advocate. Follow him on Twitter @farwell_WR or connect with him via Mike.Farwell@rci.rog- ers.com. PROVISION OF FREE MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS SHOULD BE REGIONWIDE Free the tampon, says Waterloo Chronicle columnist Mike Farwell. Jesse Winter OPINION LET'S END THE STIGMA, SAYS MIKE FARWELL MIKE FARWELL Column