A program offering free menstrual products in Montreal municipal buildings is expanding. The city's boroughs can now purchase dispensers and products for the buildings under their jurisdiction, Mayor Valérie Plante's office announced on June 1. That means free pads and tampons are about to become more widely available.

There are currently 42 buildings under the central municipal government's jurisdiction that already offer those products for free. They include libraries, community and cultural centres, municipal courthouses and Marché Bonsecours.

Moreover, several boroughs offer reimbursements or subsidies to residents who purchase reusable menstrual products.

Montreal Executive Committee Member Responsible for Social Inclusion and Accessibility Josefina Blanco said the expansion of the program "represents a further step towards menstrual equity," social inclusion and gender equality.

"Access to menstrual hygiene products is an essential need; it's a question of dignity and health," City Councillor Despina Sourias, whose portfolio includes issues related to the status of women and diversity, added in a press release.

"Lack of access to these products is often closely linked to socio-economic precarity and disproportionately affects people in vulnerable situations, including homeless women."

Below are the boroughs that offer residents money for reusable menstrual products. In many cases, the total number of reimbursements or subsidies is limited or only available while funds last. Some boroughs offer additional aid for low-income residents.

• Ahuntsic-Cartierville
  • reimburses 50%, up to $75, of the cost of qualifying products on purchases of at least $30 before taxes.
• Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
  • reimburses 75% of the cost of qualifying products.
• Lachine
  • reimburses 50% of the cost of qualifying products, up to $100.
• LaSalle
  • reimburses up to $80 for qualifying purchases of at least $20 before taxes.
• Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
  • reimburses 50% of the cost of qualifying products, up to $100.
• Montréal-Nord
  • reimburses 75% of the cost of qualifying products, up to $75.
• Outremont
  • reimburses 50% of the cost of qualifying products, up to $100.
• Pierrefonds-Roxboro
  • reimburses up to $100 for qualifying purchases of at least $30.
• The Plateau-Mont-Royal
  • offers $50 per resident for the purchase of qualifying products.
• Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles
  • reimburses 50% of the cost of qualifying products, up to $50.
• Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
  • offers $40 per resident for the purchase of qualifying products.
• Saint-Laurent
  • reimburses 50% of the cost of qualifying products, up to $150.
• Saint-Léonard
  • offers $50 per resident for the purchase of qualifying products.
• The Sud-Ouest
  • reimburses 50% of the cost of qualifying products, up to $60.
• Verdun
  • offers $50 per resident for the purchase of qualifying products.
• Ville-Marie
  • reimburses 50%, up to $75, of the cost of qualifying purchases of at least $50.
• Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension
  • reimburses 75% of the cost of qualifying products, up to $75.

Additional information on qualifying products, eligibility and applications is online. The boroughs of Anjou and Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève do not have reimbursement programs.