GOVERNMENTS URGED TO ACT ON SUGARY, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

A non- profit group that advocates for sensible alcohol consumption chided the federal and provincial governments Monday for what it calls their inaction on sugary alcohol drinks following the death of a Quebec teen. Educ’alcool director Hubert Sacy said he’s not impressed with the response from lawmakers after the death of 14- year- old Athena Gervais, who reportedly consumed such a product last month. Sacy said he was alarmed last fall when reports from emergency room doctors and ambulance technicians suggested teens being transported to hospitals with alcohol poisoning after consuming similar products was becoming a weekly occurrence. “The sad thing was that both governments said to each other ‘it’s not me, it’s you,’ instead of saying what they could do,” Sacy said of Gervais’ death.