Ontarioâs Liberal government is helping Pepsi peddle soft-drinks to elementary school kids, suggests the provinceâs civil service union.Â
Leah Casselman, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, objects to the fact that Pepsi sponsors and has its logo splashed all over the governmentâs Ontario Parks website at www.campsite24.ca.Â
The website is aimed at elementary school aged children and invites kiddie surfers to tour a virtual visitor centre, play nature-themed video games and watch promotional video clips about park activities. There is a link for teachers that leads to lesson plans for Grades Two through Six.Â
Casselman says the government moved to banned sugar-filled soft drinks in elementary school because itâs been linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes and other health problems and suggests having Pepsi sponsor a website intended to encourage children to become active flies in the face of both the governmentâs stated war on obesity and findings by the provinceâs Chief Medical Officer of Health.Â
Sheila Basrur, in a 2004 report, wrote that “we are now living in ‘obesogenic’ environmentsâ? that promote and encourage obesity.Â
âMany young people do not have the opportunity to be physically active every day and are surrounded by ads promoting soft drinks and snack foods,â? Basrur said.
Casselman also said Premier Dalton McGuinty made health promotion a big part of his election platform and appointed a minister, Jim Watson, to encourage kids and adults to exercise and eat healthier.Â
The governmentâs decision to have Pepsi sponsor the Parks website is âhypocritical,â? she said.Â
âIt doesnât square with what they are saying,â? Casselman said. âThey need to get their act together.â?Â
Meanwhile, she said, the Liberals are effectively reducing Parks programming and services by cutting the equivalent of 226 summer jobs for student employees in the provincial parks this year (a 19 per cent reduction from 2005 staffing levels).
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rose Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 8:26 pm
anole Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 1:56 pm
I agree that an injustice was doneâ¦.over 100 years ago. How many generations of people are going to pay for this.
It seems to me that if they are given the opportuninty and the means to get a good education this âInjusticeâ? can be resolved in two generations.
If this opportunity is offered but not accepted, then who is at fault, and should all these perks continue?
As for the pop issueâ¦.any members of my family (grandchildren) young enough to be swayed by these ads are not allowed to cruise the net unsupervised. There is always a parent or grandparent present when they are on line.
As an aside, rather than get the keyboard full of crumbs, the kids have bowls of baby carrots, cut celery, green peppers etc on the computer table to nibble on as they travel round the world.
The way I see it is that it will take as long as it takesâ¦.when a woman has been raped, you cannot just say, oh well that was last year, now you are over itâ¦move on with your lifeâ¦the same holds true for any child who has been through or seen a terrible thing. It will take as long as it takes, perhaps their entire life, for them to get through that. The people of the First Nation have been a people displaced. They have legitimate issues and our government is not helping the situation and people with attitudes such as yours spreading hurtful statements only exacerbate the situation.
As parents and grandparents it is great that you guys are right there while the kids are online and those ânibblesâ? you provide are super. As those kids get older, parental control becomes much harder and those kids go into their friends homes. In those homes, kids are allowed to have their computers in their bedrooms and there is no supervision. Before school ended, my granddaughter emailed me from schoolâ¦imagine my surpriseâ¦.they are allowed online in the library and I guess not much supervision there either. Believe me, if a kid wants to be online, they can be. The old addageâ¦where theres a will = theres a way. The important thing is to know every kid on their email list ⦠to meet that kid and speak with their parents, know their phone numbers. It might embarrass your child at first but they will get over itâ¦not knowing might get them dead.
Anole…I find it strange that you chose one sentence from my response to pick on. Obviously, you are missing the point completely and we have been trying to get through to you but after a person walks into a wall so many times, they say, hey what am I doing that for…?
anole Says:
August 2nd, 2006 at 10:51 am
I am a first generation Canadian.
Whats the brag about this statement…? My great great great great etc….grandparents could have said that…woohoo….. and from what country..? does it even matter ? You are here…you are safe…get over it….!
Anole….oops sorry the above post is for you
Anole…I find it strange that you chose one sentence from my response to pick on. Obviously, you are missing the point completely and we have been trying to get through to you but after a person walks into a wall so many times, they say, hey what am I doing that for…?
Lol. Rose, with a line like that, have you ever thought of being a stand-up comedian?
not really but I love all the Comedy shows (Comedy Now etc.) out of Toronto…we have a great Comedy Theatre here in Kingston and I love going…love live stage…
I’m a clapper … not a performer lol
I agree, there is nothing like a good comedy, I enjoy Just For Laughs on CBC, as well as Comedy Now et al. I also enjoy the older version of This Hour has 22 minutes and Royal Canadian Air Farce.
Well, thought you should know, you have a good sense of humour, Your comment still makes me laugh, truly funny.
Phantom Says:
August 4th, 2006 at 9:30 am
Anole…I find it strange that you chose one sentence from my response to pick on. Obviously, you are missing the point completely and we have been trying to get through to you but after a person walks into a wall so many times, they say, hey what am I doing that for…?
Lol. Rose, with a line like that, have you ever thought of being a stand-up comedian?
Attention: I never posted the above. I see our Gremlin is still with us. If you want to post use your own name, and join in the debate.
oops, it pays to read the entire post. I most certainly posted that statement. I was wondering if the Gremlin was still on the board and I gave this a quick glance and thought I hadn’t posted it. Sorry, once more folks!
Phantom…did you post all of the above…? I am getting confused…lol don’t you start getting weird also…lol
No Rose, I’m not getting weird. The above three posts are definitely mine. As I explained in the last of the three, I was wondering if the Gremlin was still present and I was scrolling through the various posts. I stopped at the one that I first said wasn’t mine. I gave it a quick glance, didn’t completely read it. Thought it wasn’t mine and over-reacted. Hence it’s posting (2 of 3) and after posting my denial, I read the entire post, realised my mistake, hence (3 of 3). Pays to read a post in its entirety before inserting one’s foot in one’s mouth.
Also causes far less confusion on other’s part.
Just so I’m absolutely clear, Rose, The first of the 3 was my response to your comment about enjoying comedies. Since you mentioned Comedy Now Etc. with I enjoy, I thought I would mention some Comedies that I enjoy.
Once more, Sorry for the confusion I caused.
Phantom: paranoia is setting in – so lets just take a deep breathe – relax – and start again. I have a wonderful satellite gadget, it has a harddrive that I can program to record what I want so I have set “Just for Laughs” etc….I really enjoy Rick Mercer, he was on Just for Laughs the other night…(probably a rerun, but I loved it) I also enjoy his shows…and I loved the special when he went into the states and asked questions at the Universities…that was too much…! If you love This Hour has 22 minutes and Royal Canadian Air Farce, do you like Steve Martin, John Candy..et al…? My all time favourite Movie is “Plane, Trains and Automobiles…”. I bought a copy VHS … (looking for a DVD) and I pull that out now and then…I cry, then laugh, then cry, then laugh…then sigh…its a rollercoaster…a more recent funny was Robin Williams “RV” (not sure of the title) but it was about him taking his family on a business trip in an old trailor across several states when he was suppose to take them to Hawaii but he doesn’t tell them its a business trip…its a laugh a min…as you can imagine with Robin Williams…I should be a movie critic…lol
rose Says:
August 5th, 2006 at 10:06 am
I agree, Rose that Rick Mercer’s exploits to the various Universities in the U.S. and talking to various Americans was extremely funny. Yes, I like Steve Martin, John Candy et al. Trains, Planes and Automobiles is a good movie. I haven’t seen Summer Vacation yet, but, have seen the trailers and think it’s a good movie. Hard to be unbiased when your a Williams fan. He alsways better, when they allow him to be himself in movies.
Well, that’s true. And you will be deleted shortly Berry Dehnnison.