Amend National Building Code
Petitioners ask the National Building Code require sinks, counters, towels and bins in toilet stalls for menstruators. The government responds that the code board received the request and will review it in the 2030 cycle.
Why we would sign this petition
- Petitioners say it would ensure menstruating people have a sink, counter, towels and a bin in stalls, enabling private, sanitary care and preserving dignity.
- Petitioners say it would reduce flushing of menstrual products that cause private and public sewer blockages, lowering plumbing failures and environmental cleanup.
- Petitioners say it aligns with recognized sanitation rights and would advance menstrual equity in public spaces.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Retrofitting existing stalls across jurisdictions could be costly and complicated, imposing significant building and maintenance expenses.
- Some public facilities lack space or plumbing capacity in individual stalls, making the requirement impractical or triggering broader, costly renovations.
- A code change may be slow to implement and other measures (accessible disposal bins outside stalls, product programs, education) might be more efficient.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada: WHEREAS The National Building Code (Part 3) makes no provision for menstruating women's needs in public toilet stalls, In 2010 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a historical resolution recognizing "the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights" (July 28,2010, A/RES/64/292), Women need access to a sink, counter, paper towel and trash can inside the toilet stall while menstruating, in order to attend to this natural function privately, in a sanitary fashion, and with dignity, to achieve the UN resolution, Menstrual equity cannot be achieved until women are afforded this basic right in public, Failure to provide a trash can inside women's toilet stalls results in the flushing of millions of tonnes of menstrual products (pads, tampons, applicators, flushable wipes, etc.), This trash ends up in our sewers, including private-side sewers, and is a proximate cause of plumbing blockages on private property, This trash enters public-side sewage collection systems, and is a proximate cause of sewer blockages and sewage pumping station failures, This trash, if it successfully passes through the sewage collection system, needs to be removed at the sewage treatment plant, and trucked to the landfill site, at enormous environmental cost, This trash, during overflow events and sewage bypasses, becomes more common with climate change, ends up in our receiving waters, as an unsightly and unsanitary mess, at enormous environmental and social cost. Therefore, we, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada, to Change the National Building Code to make provisions for public toilet stalls to meet the needs of people who menstruate.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions Signed by The Honourable Mélanie Joly The Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC), which includes representatives at the provincial, territorial, and federal levels, is responsible for developing Canada’s National Model Codes, including the National Building Code. The CBHCC works under the direction of the Canadian Table for Harmonized Construction Codes Policy, which establishes the strategic priority areas that become the focus of code development activities. The CBHCC considers changes to the National Model Codes, in the form of code change requests, on an ongoing basis based on strategic priorities set out for each code cycle. A code change request to introduce requirements for sinks, counters and trash cans in washroom stalls has been submitted to the CBHCC. Consideration of code change requests for the 2030 National Model Codes will begin in early 2026. The CBHCC encourages codes users, interested organizations and members of the public to get involved in the code development system by submitting a code change request, volunteering on a code development committee or attending its public meetings to participate in public reviews of proposed changes to the National Model Codes.