The other day I went to a meeting to discuss the GNWTSA国际影视传媒檚 idea of introducing a tax on sugary drinks. The territorial government wants to help reduce things like obesity, diabetes and poor oral health. Yay, hooray, good idea.

One of the first things we learned is that the government thinks it might not even make enough money to cover the cost of running the tax program.

Say what? You mean theySA国际影视传媒檙e not just doing it to make money? No, itSA国际影视传媒檚 because the NWT has the highest obesity rate in Canada. In fact, nearly two thirds of our population is overweight. Holy moly. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 obscene.

And of course, thereSA国际影视传媒檚 an explosion of obesity and diabetes in the Indigenous population SA国际影视传媒� which is mostly preventable!

Naturally, people in the beverage industry say raising the price of sugary drinks wonSA国际影视传媒檛 make a difference in the amount of sugary drinks people consume. Whoa!

Well, if thatSA国际影视传媒檚 true then why are they lobbying so strongly against a tax on sugary drinks? Right across Canada.

Apparently, the GNWT looked at 160 studies and concluded that increasing the price of soda pop would decrease consumption.

I agree. Raising the price of cigarettes and alcohol helped lower consumption of those products. So, itSA国际影视传媒檚 a good bet that raising the cost of sugary drinks would result in people drinking less of them, which should lead to improved health for a lot of people we know. Woohoo.

DonSA国际影视传媒檛 forget, weSA国际影视传媒檙e talking about peopleSA国际影视传媒檚 lives here.

I know people who became blind, others who had hands or feet removed and one who had both hands and feet amputated because of diabetes. So, I have no problem in saying that I support the tax 100 per cent.

Breaker: Dietitians call for tax on sugary drinks

Calls for taxes on sugary drinks are coming from an awful lot of people who are very knowledgeable about how harmful sugar and obesity can be.

For instance, in 2016 Dietitians of Canada called for a tax on pop, chocolate milk, vitamin water and other sugar-sweetened drinks that contribute to obesity. Yay for the dietitians.

But the GNWT has to do more than just put in a tax. It sure makes sense to me when the Dietitians say the government needs to combine the tax with other things, like increasing access to healthy foods while decreasing access to unhealthy foods in schools, daycares and recreation facilities.

For instance, junk food and sugary drinks are sold in Yellowknife sports facilities. Think about it; we bring our kids to skate, do gymnastics and play soccer, then we buy them a pop and chips.

I wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 even call that stuff food. In fact, itSA国际影视传媒檚 some of the worst things to buy for our kids SA国际影视传媒� for anybody. Not cool man.

So, yes, the GNWT needs to take action to stop sugary drinks and other junk food from being provided in schools, daycares and recreation facilities.

Dietitians of Canada also want restrictions on marketing foods and beverages to children and funding to support effective, long-term educational initiatives.

What a novel idea! LetSA国际影视传媒檚 educate kids on healthy eating instead of providing unhealthy foods in school!

Dietitians have lots of support. Their position on the tax was endorsed by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Diabetes Association, the Childhood Obesity Foundation, the Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada, the Quebec Coalition on Weight-Related Problems and the B.C. Healthy Living Alliance.

Obesity crisis in Canada

And thatSA国际影视传媒檚 not all! In March 2016, the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology released a report called, SA国际影视传媒淥besity in Canada - A Whole-of-Society Approach for a Healthier Canada.SA国际影视传媒�

What did the Senate Standing Committee find? The report states, SA国际影视传媒淭here is an obesity crisis in this country. Canadians are paying for it with their wallets SA国际影视传媒� and with their lives.SA国际影视传媒� Eschia.

The committee demonstrated the vast scope of this epidemic:

Every year more Canadians die from conditions linked to being overweight than there are people living in the entire NWT; Nearly two thirds of adults and one third of children are obese or overweight. Holy cow! And obesity costs Canada between $4.6 and $7.1 billion annually in health care costs and lost productivity.

The standing committee agrees with the dietitians that a national campaign is needed to combat obesity. Well, yaaaaaaaaa.

And guess what? Yup, you nailed it. The senators said the campaign should include a tax on sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages and a ban on food advertising that targets children.

LetSA国际影视传媒檚 hope the GNWT takes the opportunity to lead the country by implementing taxes on sugary drinks along with a territorial campaign to fight obesity.

After all, this tax is about the health of people we know and love, not about how much money some people make selling sugary drinks.