NDP Education Critic Rosario Marchese today criticized the Liberal government for continuing to under-fund the education system in Ontario, putting cash-strapped schools in a position where they must choose between pop machine contracts and the health of students.

The administration, finance and accountability committee of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is meeting this afternoon to decide whether to extend its current contract with Pepsi-Cola Canada. The decision: keep $535,000 in projected annual concession revenue from pop machines or protect the health of students by removing pop machines from schools.

“The fact that the TDSB has to make such a choice is deplorable,” said Marchese. “Inadequate funding of the education system by the Liberal government is putting the TDSB and other school boards in a position where they have come to rely on these additional sources of revenue in order to provide important services and programs to their students.”

The TDSB contract with Pepsi-Cola, which expires on August 31, is likely to involve stocking vending machines with diet soft drinks sweetened with aspartame. Beverage industry guidelines cite calorie-free diet pop as a ‘healthier’ alternative to sugar-laden regular pop. While the long-term health risks of aspartame are still unknown aspartame has been linked to a variety of health problems, including heart problems, cancer and even long-term weight gain.

“Only yesterday the Ontario Health Quality Council’s 2009 Annual Report identified an increase in the rate of obesity in Ontario,” noted Marchese. “The prevention of obesity among our children must include a commitment to ensure that they have access to a healthy and nutritious diet. Having pop machines in our schools does not help us meet that commitment.”

“It is incumbent upon the government to fund our education system adequately so that schools are not enticed to make choices that can jeopardize the health of students,” Marchese concluded.