QUEEN’S PARK— Nickel Belt MPP and NDP Health critic France Gélinas said that Kathleen Wynne’s decision to eliminate provincial funding to EatRight Ontario will hurt families in northern Ontario, where there is less access to registered dietitians than other parts of the province.
“On March 31, this Liberal government is cutting all funding to EatRight Ontario, the program that offers free nutrition advice to families across our province,” said Gélinas. “My constituents and families across northern Ontario use EatRight extensively because we don’t have access to dietitians – and because we want to make sure that our families and our children are eating healthy foods and getting the nutrition they need.”
“With EatRight, people in Ontario could just pick up the phone or send an email and get instant access to reliable information about healthy eating from a registered dietitians in many different languages. But on March 31 that service is going to disappear.”
The Dietitians of Canada have operated EatRight Ontario for over a decade, providing families with free access to a registered dietitian that could answer questions by phone or e-mail. In question period on Tuesday, Gélinas said that by discontinuing provincial funding to the Dietitians of Canada to operate EatRight the Wynne government is effectively ending the program.
“The Dietitians of Canada say they are ‘extremely disappointed’ with the government’s decision,” said Gélinas. “And so are the families in my riding who count on EatRight to help them stay healthy. Healthy eating is a primary factor in maintaining wellness, healthy growth and development, as well as prevention and management of the major chronic diseases. You have diabetes, celiac disease, bowel obstruction and don’t know what food is safe for you to eat call EatRight Ontario. You need to lose weight, prevent heart disease, or want to eat healthy EatRight Ontario is (or was) there to help.
“This is an incredibly important service for people across Ontario and especially in Northern Ontario, where registered dietitians are rare.”
“Why is this premier cutting funding to EatRight Ontario– and making it harder for Ontarians to eat well and stay healthy? asked Gélinas.
This service has helped fill gaps in access to dietitian services all over Ontario. Apparently nutrition services will be rolled into the current telehealth services but it is likely to be a fraction of the current service run by dietitians. As a mental health dietitian without any dietitian for mental health outpatients I gave out the Eat Right Ontario information all the time.
Keep the immigration flowing but cut local service to taxpayers born in Canada. Makes me sick
get lost you cant eat right yourself morons
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