Thanks to Councillor Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan), who visited in-studio yesterday for a very far-ranging discussion about, among other things, wastewater treatment plant costs, the Disraeli Freeway revitilization, the Winnipeg Police Advisory Board, and in particular his frank revelation that city bureaucrats have tried to use his inexperience to BS him. He'll be invited back regularly as he provides a fresh point of view and is not afraid to be held accountable.
We had a flood of emails and calls after the show, in response to our story about the outrageous comments in the Legislature of NDP MLA Flor Marcelino (Wellington) on Tuesday.
While making excuses for the NDP's refusal to support a Private Members bill of Liberal Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster) to establish a fixed price for fresh milk and make that staple affordable to Northern Manitoba, (keep in mind the price of beer is, by law, the same as in Winnipeg but milk runs up to $22 or more for a 4-litre), Marcelino stated that the people of the North were ingeniously using other products to ensure their children get calcium in their diets.
Specifically: Cheez Whiz.
Which, as our science specialist Spirited Kenny is going to tell us on Friday, is barely recognizable as a food.
Here's the excerpt from Hansard:
http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/hansard/2nd-39th/vol_65a/h65a.html#sr
Marcelino: ... However, I noticed that if you can be creative and practical, there are other alternatives to milk if you just want calcium. I saw in Gods Lake Narrows this school where supplies are delivered. They have several boxes of Cheez Whiz which is also a derivative of milk product containing calcium. I saw lots of bread. I thought without even thinking about this bill that this is a good alternative for milk.
So these children and adults from remote communities who, with this product which could be stored for a long time, these people from the northern communities are not without calcium in their diet. They may not have the actual fresh, chilled milk in the morning, but they have Cheez Whiz and other milk-derivative products that could be stored.
We are still searching for proof that the calcium in the standard serving size (2 tablespoons or 33 grams) of Cheez Whiz is an effective preventative measure for cavities in 2 year olds, or that the benefits of Cheez Whiz outweigh the excessive saturated fat, sodium, and other dubious nutritional qualities of that unnatural processed concoction.
But on the other hand, the government keeps beer affordable ...
More to come today at 4 PM, along with Brian Smiley of MPI, federal election updates, and your calls.
