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| (Image: Kate Ter Harr) |
I am not a huge fan of Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto but I must say that I agree with him on the proposal to eliminate soda pop machines from the school.
He is vehemently against it stating that the ban “is the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard. If a kid wants a pop, they’ll go to the plaza across the street and buy a pop.”
I do agree that high school is not an ideal place to sell junk food and sugary drinks. These children are in a very awkward stage of life where weight gain can be prevalent. However, it starts at home. I do not give my kids money to go to school and I pack a healthy lunch for them every day. Once they start making their own money, they will ultimately make the independent decision as to whether they will purchase a pop on the way to school or at school. They may also decide to buy some fries to go with that coke. Right now, they do not have the opportunity unless I’m feeling generous.
The reason why I am so against this discussion is simply because the Management Committee has so many other crucial things to discuss in regards to our children. For example, how do we get our children delivered safely to school to avoid the incident of the 12 year old girl who was sexually assaulted at knife point, in Scarborough Ontario, on Wednesday, March 23, 2011. No child should ever have to be traumatized for life because of one sick bastard out there.
Perhaps another discussion that may be of importance to the Management Committee is gun control within our schools. When you read a news article that a 16 year old teenage fired at a vehicle in front of a school in Scarborough on March 24, 2011, I think it’s high time to grab a pop and discuss stiffer security measures not only in the school, but surrounding the school as well.
Sorry Toronto Management Committee, but I think if it was up to me, I think I’d be proposing that we speak about our children’s safety and let their parent’s worry about their health. In business and life, it is my considered opinion that we spend too much time in meetings focusing on simple rubbish and not enough time on the bigger picture.
