AccessBC Campaign Founders Recognised with King Charles Coronation Medals

Press Release - March 21, 2025

AccessBC Campaign co-founders Devon Black and Teale Phelps Bondaroff have been awarded King Charles III Coronation medals for their work fighting for free prescription contraception and reproductive justice.

The medals commemorate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III as King of Canada, and it is awarded to people who have “made a significant contribution to Canada or to a particular province, territory, region or community of Canada, or have made an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada.”

In 2017, Black and Phelps Bondaroff founded the AccessBC Campaign, and have worked tirelessly since this time to make universal no-cost prescription contraception a reality in BC. This grassroots campaign grew from a kitchen table conversation between friends into a campaign comprising over 80 volunteers from across BC.

On April 1, 2023, British Columbia became the first province to make prescription contraception free. This policy covers a wide range of contraceptives, including pills, injections, implants, IUDs, and emergency contraception. The policy has improved access to contraceptives for thousands of BC residents. Recent research from UBC found that by June 2024, of the 80,200 people in BC using long-acting reversible contraceptives (such as IUDs and implants), and 11,400 of these people would not have been had the government not enacted free prescription contraception. This same research found that the number of people using any form of prescription contraception increased by 10%. The policy has also reduced the number of people paying out of pocket for prescription contraception, from 37% before the policy was implemented, to only 13% in June 2024.

Black, Phelps Bondaroff, and the AccessBC team have also been helping to build a national movement for free prescription contraception. There are active campaigns advocating for free prescription contraception in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Three provinces have now committed to this policy, BC (2023), Manitoba (2024), and most recently PEI (2025).

“I was happy to recognize Teale and Devon from AccessBC with King Charles III Coronation medals today in recognition of their amazing work to provide free contraception here in BC and helping to expand this achievement Canada wide.” Laurel Collins, Member of Parliament for Victoria.

“In British Columbia we've seen how impactful free contraception has been, with more than 250,000 people able to access this basic healthcare since the policy was implemented,” said Black, co-founder and national liaison of AccessBC. “On behalf of everyone who helped make our campaign successful, we're grateful for this recognition of AccessBC's work. We look forward to continuing our advocacy to improve access to sexual and reproductive healthcare in BC and across Canada.”

“I am very proud of what our small grassroots campaign has been able to achieve, and honoured to receive this award. It’s hard to believe that a kitchen table conversation between friends could lead to a successful province-wide campaign, and now a national movement for free prescription contraception,” said Phelps Bondaroff, the chair and co-founder of AccessBC. “This award belongs to all the volunteers on the AccessBC campaign, whose dedication made free prescription contraception a reality in BC. Their hard work and passion made all the difference and I am grateful to have worked alongside such an inspiring group of people."

“At a time when we see reproductive rights being eroded around the world, I am proud that BC continues to be a beacon of hope for reproductive justice,” said Phelps Bondaroff, “There is still more work to be done, and we will continue to fight to remove barriers and expand reproductive freedom here in BC and across the country.”

Highlights from the ceremony for Devon and Teale can be found here.

Background

The cost of prescription contraception can be significant, and often falls disproportionately on women and people who can become pregnant. When paid for out-of-pocket, a hormonal intrauterine device (IUD) can cost as much as $500, an implant as much as $350, oral contraceptive pills cost at least $240 per year, and hormone injections as much as $180 per year. Canadian contraceptive-care providers have identified cost as the single most important barrier to access, and youth as the population most disproportionately affected by this barrier.

In addition to helping prevent unintended pregnancies, people use contraceptive medications for a wide range of reasons, including treating chronic pelvic pain, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, heavy menstrual bleeding, irregular cycles, hormonal acne, cyclical mood changes, and gender affirming care.

Studies have found that free prescription contraception is a revenue-positive policy. Dr. Wendy Norman, from UBC’s Contraception and Abortion Research Team’s Contraception Cost-effectiveness modelling project team, estimated that the policy would save the BC health system $27 million, or over $5 per BC resident, per year. A 2015 study in the Canadian Association Medical Journal estimated that if this policy were rolled out across Canada, it would save governments $320 million a year, and this is just in the form of direct medical costs associated with unintended pregnancy.

On April 1, 2023, British Columbia became the first province to make prescription contraception free. This policy covers a wide range of contraceptives, including pills, injections, implants, IUDs, and emergency contraception. In November 2023, Manitoba announced that it would be adopting the policy. The recently announced first phase of the national pharmacare plan will provide universal, single-payer coverage for a range of contraception and diabetes medications.

In BC, this policy has already improved access to contraceptives for thousands of residents. A recent article in the Martlet reported that in the first 15 months of the program, 252,000 British Columbians access free prescription contraception: 152,200 patients accessed hormonal pills, 48,200 accessed hormonal IUDs, 9,500 patients received hormonal injections, 7,500 received a copper IUD, 7,400 had an implant, and 2,000 received a vaginal ring.

The policy has helped increase contraception usage. Recent research from UBC found that by June 2024, of the 80,200 people in BC using long-acting reversible contraceptives (such as IUDs and implants), and 11,400 of these people would not have been had the government not enacted free prescription contraception. This research also found that the number of people using any form of prescription contraception also increased by 10%. And the policy has also reduced the number of people paying out of pocket for prescription contraception, from 37% before the policy was implemented, to only 13% in June 2024.

The cost of diabetes is also significant. In 2022, Diabetes Canada determined that out-of-pocket costs were as high as $18,306 per year for people living with Type 1 diabetes and as high as $10,014 per year for those living with Type 2 diabetes.

A list of campaigns across Canada can be found here.