AccessBC

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.

On the morning of March 6th, federal Minister of Health Mark Holland and the provincial Minister of Health Josie Osborne announced the signing of a pharmacare agreement between their respective governments. The agreement will see Canada committing $670 million over four years to provide universal coverage to a range of prescription contraceptives, diabetes medications, devices and supplies, and menopause hormone therapy (MHT)

​Reproductive justice advocates across Canada are celebrating the announcement that Manitoba has become the first Canadian province to sign a pharmacare agreement with the federal government. 

Popular contraceptives Lolo and Slynd are now free in BC, and the AccessBC Campaign is celebrating! AccessBC is the grassroots campaign that successfully advocated for universal coverage of prescription contraception in BC, and has been fighting to see this policy adopted across the country and expanded in BC.

Reproductive justice advocates across Canada are celebrating the Government of Manitoba announcement that Manitoba will become the second Canadian province to offer universal no-cost prescription contraception. At a press conference on August 22, Uzoma Asagwara, Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care, announced that starting October 1, 2024, the Manitoba Pharmacare Program will cover the full cost of around 60 commonly used forms of prescription, including the pill, intrauterine devices (IUDs), hormone injections and more.

The AccessBC Campaign has been awarded the Jack Layton Progress Prize at the Broadbent Institute’s 2024 Progress Summit, held in Ottawa, April 10-12. The grassroots campaign and its co-founders, Devon Black and Teale Phelps Bondaroff, were recognized for their work successfully advocating for free prescription contraception in BC.

The AccessBC Campaign is celebrating the first anniversary of free prescription contraception in British Columbia. The grassroots campaign that advocated for universal coverage of prescription contraception applauds the B.C. government’s leadership on reproductive justice issues and calls for the further expansion of the policy.

Ten provinces/territories have income-based coverage. Five formalized no-cost contraception campaigns were found: AccessBC, Wellness Within, Universal Access to Contraception Saskatchewan, Birth Control Access for Manitoba, Cover ContraceptiON. Three were clinician-founded and all have clinician-trainee involvement. All conduct research, make statements, consult with government, and engage in public mobilization. Two have letter writing campaigns and six political parties have endorsed the policy. British Columbia was the first to implement universal no-cost contraception on April 1, 2023.

“Today, we are celebrating BC’s leadership on reproductive justice,” said Teale Phelps Bondaroff, AccessBC Campaign Chair and Co-founder. “This year, BC became the first province in Canada to make prescription contraception universally available at no cost, and the policy has already helped transform lives and improve the health and well-being of British Columbians.”

AccessBC is delighted to see that the 2023 BC provincial budget, released today, includes a commitment from the government to make all prescription contraception free. We won!

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) advocates in BC and across Canada have joined their voices together to demand reproductive justice. Advocates are calling on the federal and provincial governments to do more than make statements or release small amounts of funding – they must take real action to improve people’s access to SRH in Canada.