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       A Shoppers Drug Mart store on Yonge St. near St.Clair Ave. in Toronto on March 17, 2020.

       Fred Lum/the Globe and Mail

       Ontario and Shoppers Drug Mart are partnering to distribute free menstrual products in schools.

       Education Minister Stephen Lecce says menstrual products are a necessity not a luxury, and not being able to afford those products shouldn’t be a barrier to a student’s education.

       He says Ontario joins British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island in making the move to fight period poverty.

       Six million free menstrual products per year will be provided to school boards, which will then decide how they get distributed within their local schools.

       Shoppers Drug Mart is donating all of the pads – Lecce says tampons aren’t part of the program at the moment.

       Keith Baybaylon, president of the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association, says menstrual equity is a human rights issue and today’s announcement will help students feel more included in the community.

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