City hall councillor wants to bring back free food so that he can sit still

James Pasternak has an idea for making things a little more civil during city council meetings: bring back the snacks. Council voted to eliminate snacks shortly after Rob Ford—hater of gravy, snacks and, worst of all, gravy-smothered snacks—became mayor. (City hall saved 48,000 big ones!) Of course, Pasternak emphasized that no one is talking about “a 50-foot, Las Vegas–style, all-you-can-eat buffet”; the reasonable Pasternak only wants food at full council meetings and believes it should be paid out of councillors’ budgets. Frankly, our faith in government is slightly shaken by the suggestion that elected officials can’t sit still if they aren’t provided food (although Pasternak did suggest that other snack-related benefits include greater focus and harmony). Regardless, Pasternak’s hopes will probably be crushed, due to opposition on both sides of the political aisle. Adam Vaughan thinks all this snack talk amounts to yet another distraction at a time when council is “taking the necessities of life literally away from people.” The Star also notes that Paul Ainslie is avoiding white bread and deli meats. Now that’s principle. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »