A unique election issue has emerged in New Brunswick: chocolate milk.
The province’s Liberal government introduced a much-derided ban on chocolate milk and other sugary drinks and snacks from being sold in schools, and the Conservatives have promised to kill it.
Tory Leader Blaine Higgs was even filmed drinking chocolate milk during the first week of the campaign for the Sept. 24 election, as the party said it would combat obesity in schools with meaningful programs, not token efforts.
On Friday, Liberal Education Minister Brian Kenny said he was troubled by reports from groups who said the ban, introduced in June, jeopardized their school fundraising events.
Some parent groups said the ban extended to what could be sold during fundraisers that generated revenues for such things as school supplies and a lunch program for students who had no meals.
Heather McDonald, who chairs the Birchmount School Home and School Association in Moncton, said her group and others planned all summer for fundraising events, but had to cancel them when they were told last week that the new policy extended to fundraisers.
“We have a lot of requests from teachers who need things for their classrooms. For us, it was an immediate ‘Oh no, how do we going to help these kids, and how are we going to feed the kids who come to school hungry?” she said.
She said anything planned for prior to the election date will have to remain on hold, including a fall fair that had been scheduled for Sept. 21.
McDonald said that event included selling homemade pies and jars full of candy.
“These are the things that make us money and are the things that are the most profitable,” she said.
Source: The Star