Inmates at Kenora District Jail not getting proper access to menstrual products, advocates say

First Nations women in northern Ontario are advocating for better access to menstrual products at the Kenora District Jail.

Longtime community advocate Tania Cameron has held menstrual product drives in the past, but after hearing that a female inmate was in tears about inadequate access to such supplies, she decided to go to the Ministry of the Solicitor General for answers.

Two days after sending a letter to Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, Ontario's ombudsman and Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa, she was invited to visit the jail with Mamakwa and met two dozen female inmates.

The women told her that every time they need a menstrual product, they must request it from a correctional officer (CO) and it can sometimes take hours to get it. They are either given a pad from a roll, which they describe as more of a panty liner, or a tampon without an applicator.

The panty liners are too light for regular or heavy flow days and the tampons are difficult to use, Cameron said. Many of the women expressed fears of repercussions for sharing their concerns.

CBC News requested an interview with Kerzner and instead was provided an emailed response from ministry spokesperson Andrew Morrison.

"Menstrual products are provided to inmates as needed at no cost during their custody," Morrison said. "The ministry can confirm that the Kenora jail has an adequate supply of menstrual products on hand to ensure inmates have what they need on a daily basis."

Cameron, however, is calling for better-quality products and better education for correctional officers about period supplies.

"Any person that has their moon time cycle will bleed differently. Sometimes it's light, sometimes it's very heavy. Sometimes they will need more pads one day than the next," Cameron said, referring to how the lunar cycle and the menstrual cycle can be about the same number of days.

"That should be shared as information to the COs, so if a woman's asking [for a menstrual product], please give it to them. They don't need it hours later — they need it now." 

'I don't want that indignity for anyone'

In a followup email, CBC News asked the solicitor general's office what kind of menstrual products are provided, whether they are adequate for light, medium and heavy flow days, and how soon an inmate receives a product after requesting one.

CBC News did not receive a response to the subsequent questions by publication time.

Inmates can purchase their own menstrual products from the canteen at $4 per package. Cameron said she knows what it's like to not be able to afford such essential items.

"[As] someone that grew up in a low-income household with sisters, we didn't always have access to pads when we needed them and it was a struggle," she said. "I don't want that indignity for anyone."

In addition to better-quality pads and tampons, she wants inmates to be provided with period underwear that can be washed and reused.

"I have donors waiting in the wings willing to make that possible," said Cameron.

For now, she plans to provide the inmates who requested support with extra money in their accounts so they can purchase products at the canteen. 

Calls for cultural support, respect for sacred time

Those who spoke to CBC News and recently visited the Kenora District Jail estimated over 90 per cent of inmates there are Indigenous. The incarceration rate for Indigenous women in provincial correctional facilities is more than 15 times higher than non-Indigenous women, according to Statistics Canada. 

"As Nishnaabe, we have moon-time teachings — and that's sacred time," Cameron said. "To be mistreated with poor-quality [products], with low access, inadequate distribution, it's very upsetting and it's not right." 

For years, Mamakwa has been pushing for better conditions at the jail, particularly for Indigenous inmates.

"It's a system that keeps our people in there," Mamakwa said. "A lot of them are waiting for court appearances."

Mamakwa said he learned a lot from visiting the inmates with Cameron and recognizes better menstrual products are needed at the jail.

He also wants to see better wraparound support for all Indigenous inmates.

"We need to provide more service to them. We cannot forget these people because at the end of the day, they are people just like us."

Inmates 'bleeding through their clothing'

Lindsay Martin is executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario and the lead provincial advocate on the Council of Elizabeth Fry Societies of Ontario. The organization supports women and gender-diverse people involved in the criminal justice system.

During their last visit at the Kenora jail, Martin said, they witnessed COs complaining about having to hand out menstrual products.

"Just having to ask [for products], it creates this weird power dynamic," Martin said. "Sometimes they'll come back in two to three hours with the product … and folks are possibly bleeding through their clothing — so then everybody in their unit knows and it becomes a hygiene issue."

There's also the scarcity factor; when menstrual products are hard to come by, and this creates tensions between inmates, they added.

Martin said they want to see better gender-responsive care and training to meet inmates' needs.

"If you aren't able to care for the needs of that population, then we shouldn't be incarcerating them."