France Gélinas, Ontario NDP Health critic, urged the Ford Conservatives to stop cuts to public health funding that will jeopardize school nutrition programs.
The Conservatives are cutting $1 billion in funding at Toronto Public Health alone, and cutting 25 of the 35 public health units in Ontario. The cut to public health has thrown the future of a school nutrition program that feeds 200,000 children into uncertainty.
“School nutrition programs help ensure children get the nourishment they need to concentrate and succeed in the classroom,” said Gélinas. “For the Ford Conservatives to make cuts to public health that threaten school nutrition programs is doubly cruel. Not only does it mean more kids will go hungry, but it means more kids will have a harder time keeping up in the classroom.”
As the Conservatives continue to dismiss the impact of their cuts to public health, the City of Toronto is speaking out with increasing urgency about the devastating consequences the funding claw-back will have. Mayor John Tory has made direct appeals to Toronto-area PC MPPs whose communities will be affected by the fallout from this decision.
“Yesterday in Question Period, the Minister questioned Toronto Public Health’s priorities because they engaged in health promotion and advocacy,” said Gélinas. “If it was not for the advocacy of Toronto public health we would still smoke in restaurants and bars.
“Investing in public health keeps communities safe and saves the health-care system money. We should be doing more to promote public health, not less.”
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